Witch Trials Revisited
by Justright
Summary: The Charmed ones live in the dark time when witches were hunted by the innocents they are supposed to protect...
1. Default Chapter

Witch Trials Revisited ****

Witch Trials Revisited

In this age of suspicion and fear, women with special abilities had always had to stay quiet about their gift. May it be simply that they were writers, healers or had bigger ambitions didn't really matter. It was a man's world and the women knew that. One of those women had a gift that she definitely didn't want known. Her family was special, always had been. But where in the long past the gift given to her by heredity had been a blessing, it had become a curse and a shame. Even her own parents tried to deny that she was as gifted as her ancestors were. They had told her all her life that she was inventing when she told them of the visions she was having. 

At now eighteen years of age, she was still looking forward to love and a relatively normal life. She had learned by then to hide everything that displeased her parents. Going so far indeed as denying her gift herself.

When she had met Leopold, she had fallen for him immediately and completely. She was waiting for him that night on the porch. She knew that her mother's watchful eyes wouldn't leave them even for an instant, but she still intended to enjoy their meeting. 

He had come to town recently, and her parents were unsure about him. They had told her that he seemed too mature for her. But Piper didn't mind at all as she felt an infinite love for him, and she knew in her heart that he did too.

She saw him at the end of the path, and her heart pounded wildly. Oh did she love him, she told herself and tonight he had promised something special. She hoped for a proposal, even though she was sure her family would be resistant to it. But at this point, she longed so much for him that she knew she couldn't wait much longer. Piper had always tried to conform to her parents' expectations, but if they didn't give her their permission, she had already made up her mind to go against them for the first time in her life. That is how much she wanted him…

Leopold:

"Piper," he called with a big happy smile already. She wanted to run to him but she could feel her mother' stare on her back and she stopped herself. He came to her almost timidly:

"Piper, I missed you," and he just kissed her on the cheek; but his lips stayed longer than they should have. And when he pulled away reluctantly, she could still feel the warmth he had left there coursing throughout her body as if the kiss had been much more than it was. She blushed and Leopold found it adorable. Then she dared ask:

"You hinted at a surprise, I can't wait anymore…"

Leopold:

"I'm just as impatient as you are" he said softly so that only her could hear, then he pulled a simple ring from his pocket and went down on his knee in the traditional fashion:

Piper breathed deeply trying to calm herself.

Leopold:

"From the first moment I saw you, I knew that I wanted to be with you forever. Piper Halliwell will you be my wife?"

Piper could not find her voice and Leopold swallowed nervously.

Then she took the ring with a trembling hand and just nodded yes.

Leopold didn't even try to contend himself anymore and he got up taking her by her amazingly thin waist to lift her off the ground happily. And for the first time, he kissed her fully on the mouth, which immediately brought her mother outside.

"Piper?"

Piper:

"Mother, I have something to show you" she said ignoring the reproach in her mother's voice.

Her mother, Penelope, could not believe the nerve of that man who had gone over their heads to ask their daughter in marriage.

Penelope:

"Young man, don't you think that you should have asked permission first?"

Leopold looked at Penelope with an air of determination that put her ill at ease.

"Madame" he said respectfully but forcefully nevertheless, I intend to marry your daughter and I know that she wants that too. I can only hope that you will approve. However if you won't, I still will marry her."

Piper, not wanting to incur the wrath of her family, was very worried about her reaction but she still was ready to go against their wishes if necessary.

Penelope, seeing that the young man was obviously so certain of his intentions, couldn't find an argument so she just added:

"I will have to consult with Piper's father about this."

Piper:

"Mother please!"

But her mother turned her back on her and hurried inside, leaving them unsure of what would happen next…

Leopold:

"I'm sure that they will see that we love each other Piper."

Piper:

"They are worried that you are a stranger to us. I don't know why, but mother has always been wary of strangers."

Leopold:

"Then I will just have to convince her and your father that I intend to make you happy and well cared, for the rest of your life."

He took her in his arms now to reassure her and leaning on his strong chest, she felt better almost immediately.

That moment of peace didn't last very long as her father came outside carrying the carbine that he usually only took out for hunting.

Piper let out a scream of fright at the anger on her father's face. She was used to him being a caring and tolerant man, but that night he was furious.

Victor:

"I want you to get off my property and to take your filthy ring with you," he said looking directly at Leopold. "We do not want a stranger near our daughter, I have been too tolerant already of this nonsense and it will stop right now."

Leopold stood fast ready to defy the master of the house but Piper saw that her father was serious and she pulled Leopold to herself, sadly giving him back his ring. He could see the pain in her eyes and it hurt him deeply.

Piper:

"Leopold you must go; I couldn't bare the thought of you being hurt or worse."

Leopold turned back to her father one last time with fire in his eyes, then he stepped off the porch angrily and almost ran away from the house. Piper, unable to contain her pain anymore, started crying uncontrollably and she ran into the house without a look at her father.

Her two sisters, Phoebe seventeen and Prue nineteen, greeted her when she entered their shared bedroom, but they understood immediately that things didn't go as well as Piper had hoped for. Phoebe came to her and Piper threw herself in her arms crying even louder.

"I will run away, I swear she said," distraught. "No one will keep me from him."

Phoebe:

"You can't do that! What if Mother and Father are right?"

Piper:

"They are wrong," she continued stubbornly through her tears, "I know that they are."

Neither Prue nor Phoebe could find the words to comfort her and they started wondering what they would do if they lost their sister.

That night none of them slept very well.

Prue was the responsible sister herself. She was already engaged to one of the sheriff's deputies, Andrew Trudeau. His family had been in the village for as long as theirs and her parents had approved immediately of her choice, even eagerly. She had always been the responsible one even if sometimes the weight of her being the oldest was a little too much to bear. She wished by moments that she could be just as carefree as her younger sister, who like a butterfly, was living her life to the fullest refusing to get attached by any man or anyone for that matter. Piper did surprise her though. She didn't expect her to even think of doing such an impulsive and dangerous thing. That morning she woke to find her sister preparing a bag with her belongings:

"Piper, I would have thought that you'd have reconsidered by now."

Piper:

"I told you that I would go, and don't even try to change my mind. As soon as I can leave here, I will go to him and we will just have to run away."

Prue:

"Are you so sure that he wants that too? I heard that he has found work here and maybe he won't be that eager to run away."

Piper:

"I know he will…"

Then Piper eyed her sister suspiciously:

"You won't tell them will you?"

Prue:

"I don't know... I'm afraid for you Piper." 

Both sisters now stared at each other in a charged silence. Phoebe who was just waking up saw the tension between her sisters:

"What is it you two?"

Then she noticed the canvas bag that Piper was still holding:

"Oh Piper, you can't be serious. There are so many dangers out there. Don't you remember what Mother told us about the outside world?"

Piper:

"Leopold will protect me. And besides, no one knows about us…"

Just like Piper, Phoebe and Prue had gifts that were considered forbidden and just like her they had been taught to hide them for fear of reprisals from the townsfolk. Their mother would tell them every so often, particularly to Phoebe who just couldn't help but want to use this gift. She could freeze time and had been practicing in secret against her mother's wishes. So had Prue. Her telekinetic power had helped them to get out of trouble on occasion but the three of them were almost convinced now that no one would understand about them.

Prue:

"Piper, I implore you to rethink this, at least give yourself a few days, just to be sure. If he loves you, I'm sure that he can wait for you a little longer."

Piper:

"But what if I can't?"

Phoebe:

"Just a few days, it won't be so bad and who knows maybe our parents will have changed their mind by then?"

Piper sighed heavily and put the bag behind her bed:

"Don't be fooled, if they do not I will run away. But you're right, I can still wait a few days. I'll see him at Sunday's mass and I'm sure that by then he'll also have thought of a solution."

Her sisters smiled weakly at her, praying secretly for things to get better.

Penelope was awake but she felt unable to get up and start her chores of the morning. She was paralyzed by fear for her daughters.

They didn't know but she also had gifts just like them. She was just better at hiding it then they were. She had practiced all her adult life to hide the truth about herself for their sake and Victor's. When she had been almost Piper's age she also had ran away with her present husband, but love had not been the only reason. Then, her mother had been adamant that she should not try to deny what she was and most of all, the destiny that her children were to have. Penelope had been scared by all the fear that other people held for her mother and grand mother's gift. Already at the time, people had started to ostracize witches and Penelope had not wanted to live that kind of life. Let along expose her future children to the destiny her mother had talked about. 

She, as much as her husband had good reasons to be wary of strangers, but she never told her daughters why. She didn't want them to know the real danger they could be exposing themselves to. To tell them that, would have been to admit that their gift and hers was a real fact and all she wanted was for them to just forget about it.

She finally got up, promising herself to watch Piper closely as she was convinced that this time, her usually obedient daughter might do something crazy. But instead of going out of her room, after getting dressed, she went to the dresser to which she alone had a key. She kept its content secret even from her husband who would have been horrified to know that she still looked at those memorabilia from her mother's. Inside the dresser were a book and various bottles. She took the book respectfully, still remembering her mother's teaching on the importance of this book. It was ancient and on it was the raised carving of a circle with 3 elliptical forms touching it. Her mother had told her the significance of this but she never believed that she would be the one who would give birth to the fabled witches. Instead she paged the book still looking for an entry that would tell her if Leopold really was any danger to her daughter. Again there was nothing that she could find, but she knew by experience that it meant nothing. The book didn't have all the demons and warlocks in it yet. The moment she put down the book, this one reopened on its own and it startled her but didn't really surprise her since it had happened often.

Penelope:

"What is it Mother?"

Patricia, her mother, had often tried even after her death to make her reconsider her attitude toward her daughters but she stubbornly always refused.

Still when the page with her mother's handwriting opened in front of her she couldn't help but to read the inscription again:

"The prophecy will come true, whether you believe it or not. I know that my line will give birth to the Charmed ones. Your children will be those, I'm sure of it. I implore thee to let them become what they must."

She angrily closed the book and locked it back in the dresser. 

"No mother, my daughters will not be exposed to the dangers that come with being what we are. I made sure that they know not to use their powers…"

As she was getting out of the room to busy herself with her daily chores, the ghostly figure of an elderly woman appeared in the room, and from her expression of sadness and discontent, one could guess that she was Patricia's ghost. She looked at the dresser for a moment then gesturing toward it she unlocked it and levitated the book toward her. 

She flipped the pages again until she found her own entry in the book, and underneath, these words started to appear magically:

"To my grand daughters…"

Phoebe and Prue were now at least convinced that their sister was going to wait before leaving them and now after their morning chores, they left the house to secretly go practice their gift in the woods nearby. They both knew that if their mother had heard of it she would have been very upset, but they couldn't help wanting to use those gifts. Penelope had been sorely mistaken to believe that they would have forgotten about them.

They went and played one of their favorite games where Prue was trying to control her telekinetic gift by selectively moving pieces and throwing them in Phoebe's direction while this one was freezing and unfreezing them at will. It amused them to no end to see the wood piece stop in midair then when released continue on its way until Phoebe stopped it again and again. Then Phoebe would lift from the ground and try to find Prue's astral self from the air in a very magical game of hide and seek. Phoebe was now very close to know how to actually fly, but she didn't dare do it for fear of discovery. 

Only a few months ago, they had found out that new gifts had come to them but their mastering of those particular gifts were still in their infancy, and they had also figured out that they could be very dangerous.

They had found out by accident just like with the other powers when during a game, instead of stopping the object in midair, Phoebe had set it on fire with some kind of an energy beam forcing her to get out of the way very quickly. And it had only been thanks to Prue's nervous reaction that they had not set the woods on fire around them. When seeing what had happened, she tried to send the object away from any flammable material and instead had sent an icy beam at it, stopping the fire. 

They were also certain that if her sister had still been participating in those games, she'd also have demonstrated powers akin to theirs but ever since their mother had punished them severely for this, Piper had stayed away from the witch practice. To her sisters' chagrin. And now their sister, so proper and respectful of authorities was the one threatening to run away…

After just about an hour of their games, Phoebe started on that subject:

"Do you really think that she will do it?

Prue:

"I'm not sure, but I do know that mother is very worried about that stranger. It seems almost exaggerated. I mean he looks so nice and decent. Why should she be so fearful of him?"

Phoebe:

"And he still has been around for a couple of months without doing anything worthy of reproach. I really don't know, but I'm still afraid of what might happen to her. What if mother is right and something bad happens to her when she is gone. We wouldn't even know."

Prue:

"I'm sure that she would let us know that she is ok and where she is…"

Phoebe:

"But what if she didn't?"

Prue:

"No matter what happens we will have to make sure of that, of course."

Phoebe smiled weakly:

"I still hope that our parents will change their mind. I don't exactly know why but it seems important that we at least stay together."

Prue:

"I have the same feeling all the time. But do you think that Piper denies this too?"

Phoebe:

"She just might. She refuses to even talk about her gift."

Do you really think that it would be as bad as mother says if people knew about us?"

Prue:

"From the way she insists on us not using them, it looks like it. I just wish I knew what is so bad about it. Although I must admit that if Andrew knew, he might be a little scared of me and I don't want that."

Phoebe then smiles frankly:

"So how is Andrew, and more importantly, how is his brother Samuel?"

Prue:

"You're still thinking about that?"

Phoebe smiles ruefully:

"You know me?"

Prue:

"You're a little young to go after a man his age Phoebe. He is twenty-three you know."

Phoebe:

"And I'm a very mature seventeen," she says laughing.

Prue:

"That's what's scares me." But she can't help but smile at her sister's enthusiasm for life. 

"At any rate, Andrew is coming this afternoon and I think his brother might be coming too. Father needed some help to repair the barn."

Phoebe:

"Oh goody, men look so good when they work hard."

Prue:

"Oh Phoebe!"

Phoebe:

"What?" She asks as innocently as she can muster.

Prue sighs dejectedly and they finally go back toward the house. Both of them are relived when they see their sister on the porch.

Piper barely acknowledged their return. She knew very well where they were going so regularly and she preferred not to think about it. Besides, for now, her only thoughts went to Leopold. She was wondering anxiously how he had taken the rejection from last night.

Prue:

"Are you well sister?"

Piper:

"I will be, don't worry."

Prue:

"But I am worried; did you talk to mother?"

Piper:

"I will soon, but I need some time first. What they did last night hurt me deeply."

Prue:

"I'm sure that our parents only had your best interest at heart."

Piper:

"If they truly did, they would accept my judgement. I know that Leopold is a good man."

Prue:

"I'm convinced too and maybe if you talked to her she would see this also."

Piper still seemed unconvinced but she smiled gently to her sister. She knew that both her sisters were concerned for her. They had always been very close, even though they fought on occasion. But she knew for a fact that she could count on them. Sometimes she regretted her fear of the gift. She would look at her sisters, aware of what they shared that she didn't because of it. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to participate in this activity. 

In another town, not very far from where they lived, a posse was assembling in the center of town. Men with forks and other nasty looking farm tools, even some with guns, and they were talking animatedly among themselves. They were impatiently waiting for something. There was also a look of fear about them that didn't fit with the weaponry that they were carrying. As if they thought that nothing could ward the enemy they were facing.

At last the sheriff and a pastor came out of the local church. The pastor was wearing a heavy crucifix and his bible in front of him as if also to protect himself from an unspeakable evil.

The sheriff gave him room to speak to the crowd:

"My friends, today is a sad day for us. I have found out, as you now know, that the Devil has taken root in our good town. He has invaded two of our sisters and threatens to spread his evil way to more of us.

We must stop this. I implore you all to show courage and faith in our quest. We will help our sisters repent for their sins."

The man in the place started to talk louder, all of them agreeing with the priest, although some of them crossed themselves repeatedly in fear of evil.

The pastor, satisfied, continued:

"Let's not lose any more time. The devil will not do its evil work in our town anymore."

And as soon as he finished saying this, he got off the wooden walkway and directed himself to the edge of town, followed closely by the mob.

The posse ended up in front of a nice cottage, with a flowery border. Two single ladies had been living there peacefully for years, being known of all the people in town, but the previous day all of this had changed. A little girl had come to their house, as she had done many times before, but this time she returned home complaining of an illness. 

No one knew what had caused it at first, and by nightfall, the little girl had been delirious with fever and in excruciating pain. All the efforts that the town doctor did were in vain and late that night to the terrible sorrow of her parents, the little girl had died. By that time, a few people had retraced the little girl's step to the cottage of the Warren Ladies. People needed to punish someone for the little girl's passing and many came forward with strange stories about them. By morning, the pastor was convinced that something evil had happened in their house and they were now screaming at the ladies to come out of the house. Inside, Phyllis and Paula were huddled in fear, having heard of the terrible events and of the following inquiries in their life. When the pastor realized that they would not come out, he summoned the bravest of the men to break down the door, and although with some hesitation, three of them came with heavy farm tools and broke it in a moment.

The sisters inside had faced evil before, but the thought of hurting innocents was the farthest from their mind and presently, they decided that it would be better to simply put themselves at the mercy of the pastor. They were sincerely hoping that they could keep their secret and stop this madness. Unfortunately, they would soon learn that it had gone too far already…

The next day, standing in chains in the town's place, they awaited the verdict of a very quick and one-sided trial. The pastor had made an inflamed sermon that morning urging everyone to beware of the appearance of evil. 

"The Warren sisters may appear innocent to you my friends but the face of evil has many forms, the most treacherous of which is the look of innocence. Don't be fooled by their denial. The devil will never admit his presence among us as he cowardly hides behind these women. To save them, we have to purify them, unless they confess to their crime and reject him."

And now, even long time friends of theirs cast fearful looks of doubts and fear toward them. Phyllis and Paula were not ready to confess to a crime that they knew they had most certainly not committed. They stood fast in the face of all the resentment and bigotry, still thinking that their dignity would earn them at least a chance to defend themselves. But all they were ever aloud to do was to answer insidious and belittling questions by the pastor. After hours of grilling, he had come to the conclusion that they would never admit their crimes and presently was coming back to pass judgement on them.

Pastor O'Reilly:

"Those women are but the victims of Satan himself. It is our duty to cleanse them of his influence so that god in his infinite wisdom might forgive them their crime. I hereby, condemn the Warren sisters to be burned at the stake, tomorrow at dawn. May God have mercy on their souls…"

The sisters couldn't believe what was happening and they cried and screamed, enraged. All it did was to convince some more people that the devil was talking through their mouths.

It was unfortunate that their actual witch powers were of no use to them at this moment. They had always been the weak ones in the family. Penelope, their sister, was the most powerful of them, but she had always refused to assume her gift. For the sake of family they had moved here to be closer to her after their mother's demise. And now their only hope was that the only person that had not gone crazy in this town would deliver their plea to her before it was too late…

At a distance was a man, standing out of sight of the townsfolk but observing them and particularly observing the witches with a mysterious smile. He was tall with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. Handsome by any definition, but also hard in his expression. The smile looked insincere and didn't reflect in his icy stare. When he was satisfied of the trial's result, he walked toward the edge of town. He looked around himself carefully, and then, convinced that no one was observing him, he literally shimmered out of this world and disappeared…

At the Halliwell's house, Piper was preparing to confront her mother. She was trembling with uncertainty. Only once before had she defied her mother in such a fashion, and she still remembered the harsh punishment she had incurred for it. It had happened when, at the age of twelve, her mother had found her along with her sisters, trying their gift together. Penelope had never been so angry with them, and Piper never wanted to see this again. But her love for Leopold was so strong that she was ready to endure the wrath of her parents. 

Piper:

"Mother?"

Her mother lifted her head from the pastry she was making for their evening meal and looked at her daughter, questioningly.

Piper:

"I have to talk to you about Leopold mother."

Penelope's expression immediately became somber.

"I don't want to hear anymore about that man."

She had said "man" with such resentment that Piper almost changed her mind about talking to her. But she took a deep breath and continued nonetheless:

"I want you to know that nothing is going to keep me from him. I wish that you would understand how much I love him mother. But if you don't then…"

She hesitated a long moment in which her mother's mood darkened even more but she didn't say anything yet, waiting.

Piper:

"Then I'll have to leave and you will have lost a daughter…"

Penelope now reacted:

"You cannot mean this Piper. I won't allow it."

Piper started screaming now which startled her mother even through her anger. It even brought her sisters to the door for Piper was always the quiet type, never raising her voice for anything. But right now, she was enraged:

"You cannot stop me. I will go to him Mother and not you or Father or anybody will keep me from him…"

Penelope:

"And what good will it do to you? What if he isn't what you imagine that he is? What if he is…?"

In her distraught state, Penelope had almost uttered the words that she had swore would never come to her daughter's ears.

It struck her so hard that she stopped and barely looking in Piper's direction for an instant, she stormed out of the room without another word, pushing Prue and Phoebe out of the way.

These went to their sister with real concern and Prue asked:

"What happened?

Piper found enough voice after her outburst to answer:

"I don't know." She was ashamed of what she had done to her yet she was wondering why her mother had left so abruptly. It was not like her to give up so easily.

In a little voice she continued for her sister:

"But no matter, if they persist in denying me; I will run away with him."

Phoebe:

"Piper no…" She had said this while trying to keep the tears from running down her face. She didn't know why exactly but her sister's determination to leave them made her more and more afraid. She had the sensation that something terrible might happened if she did…

But Piper wouldn't listen to her and she left them to go to their bedroom. There she threw herself on the bed and cried for hours.

Penelope could hear her daughter sobbing but by now, her own fears had been reawakened. She had come so close to tell them and then what would have happened. They most certainly would have wanted to know more about it. She was aware of the determination of her daughters, and she even suspected that Prue and Phoebe had disobeyed her. But by now they were too old and determined for her to stop them. She had believed that Piper would be the one to keep the prophecy from becoming. But it had never occurred to her that she might do so by leaving.

She knew that she had to protect her against herself and made a decision that pained her, but it was the only thing that she could do. She asked her husband to shut the windows close and she locked Piper in the room before this one realized what was happening. When Piper understood what her mother had done, she started pounding on the door and screamed again. But Penelope closed her ears to the screams and she kept watch for the rest of the day so that no one would let her out.

That night, during their dinner, she received an unexpected visitor. A friend of her sister's had ridden all day to get to her and now he asked her to come outside with him for he had news for her alone.

The man, by the name of Elliot Lawton recounted to her the terrible events of the last two days. She was horrified when he told her the faith of her sisters and immediately agreed to go back with him and try to save them.

Victor was very upset at the idea that she would go there by herself but she insisted that she had to at least try to save them. She made sure that he would not let Piper out of her room until she returned and then mounted their fastest horse to follow the man, intent on riding through the night.

As she was departing, Leopold was observing them with curiosity and concern wondering where their mother could be going so late in the day and in such a hurry. But his musing didn't last very long as he had only one thought in mind and it was to see Piper. He had spent the day in a daze, wondering if maybe he had been wrong about her feelings for him.

This time, he went around the house careful not to be seen and when he got to what he knew was their bedroom window, he noticed that the shutters had been nailed shot.

He was somewhat discouraged at seeing this but decided to try and raise her, hoping she was the one in there, he started to throw little rocks on the shutters…

Inside Piper had finally succumbed to her exhaustion. She had been sleeping for almost an hour when an insisting noise woke her up. She didn't know at first what it was, but then she heard it again. The noise came from just outside her window. She came closer to it and called at first softly then a little louder. To her wonderment, Leopold answered back:

"Piper? Is that you?"

Piper:

"Yes my love it's me. They locked me in."

Leopold felt the anger swell inside him:

"They cannot do that to you."

Piper:

"They are my parents, and you know that they can do this. They are not usually cruel or bad to me, but my mother won't let me go to you."

Leopold:

"If you could, would you come with me, for good?"

Piper:

"Yes, I would."

Leopold:

"Then I'll find a way to get you out and we'll run away.

Piper thought of what her sister Prue told her:

"Are you sure that you want to go away?"

Leopold:

"I'd go to the end of the world and back to be with you."

Piper put her hand to her chest and the smile finally came back to her lips.

Piper:

"Then yes, I will go with you and never look back."

Leopold:

"Wait for me, my sweet."

Piper went to the other side of the bed to pick up her bag of belongings. But there she saw something shining to the candlelight and she bent to pick it up. She recognized it for her mother's medallion. She was just wondering how it got there when, the moment she touched it, a vision came to her. 

She could see her mother, encircled by a crowd of screaming people. They were herding her toward two other women in chained. She recognized those too, as they were her aunts. Then she almost screamed when she saw them push her mother in the fire that they had just alighted at her aunts' feet.

She had not had a vision in years but she still knew that this was real.

She didn't hesitate and went to the door calling insistently to her parents:

"Where is mother; I have to talk to her now…"

Her father heard the screams but at first he ignored it, thinking that she simply was still trying to convince them to let her go. When he saw that she wouldn't stop though, he came angrily to the door decided to put his foot down.

"You will stop screaming like this young lady. Nothing you say will change the fact that you are staying here."

But Piper who now had his attention was not about to let him go away again:

"Father where is Mother, I have to warn her."

Victor was alarmed by her tone of voice:

"What do you mean?"

Piper:

"I have to warn her, if she goes to her sisters she will die."

Victor, who had had reservations at letting Penelope go by herself was now very scared. He knew that even though he disapproved of it, their witchcraft was very real and that if Piper said that Penelope would die then it would happen.

He quickly unlocked the door before telling her that her mother had already left.

Piper:

"We have to do something, we have to stop her" she says in a panic.

Phoebe and Prue came out of the guestroom where they had been forced to stay that night.

Prue:

"What is it? Why are you so scared?"

Piper:

"It's Mother, she might die if we don't find her…"

Phoebe:

"How do you know, she just said that she had to see her sisters."

Piper:

"Then she went to Oakridge tonight?"

Victor:

"I didn't want to scare you girls but something bad has happened."

Your aunts have been found guilty of evil doings and witchcraft. 

They are to be burned at the stake tomorrow morning…"

The girls exclaimed in horror.

Leopold, who was coming back to the window to try and open it, heard the commotion inside and forgetting his own safety, went around the house and entered it without invitation.

"What is it, he asked anxiously?"

Victor was too worried about Penelope to protest his presence and Piper told him that their mother needed their help. She didn't however tell him how she had learned of this.

Without anymore hesitation, Victor enlisted Leopold to prepare the carriage and they departed soon after on the north road, hoping against all hope that they could catch up to her before it was too late.


	2. Witch Trial Revisited (Part 2)

Witch Trial Revisited (Part 2) ****

Witch Trial Revisited (Part 2)

****

The two riders were pushing their mount to the extreme, as they were following the dirt path only lighted by the full moon. Penelope still had to work on keeping up with Elliot Lawton; she wasn't used to ride this fast. And there was also the fact that she had much to be worried about…

Penelope kept half of her mind on the horse ride and her sister's friend while she was thinking of what she might really do once there. Helping them with magic was a possibility but she hadn't used her talents in years and for a good reason. Or so she thought it was.

The recent events had brought back all of her fear of magic to the surface, and frankly the idea of using it scared her even more. It was not so much for herself that she feared as she had had a good and full life. No she was more afraid of what might become of her daughters if people were to understand that they also could be the bearers of special gifts.

"But my poor sisters" she reflected, "what else can I do to help?"

They were more than halfway to the village of Oakridge now, and she knew that she would soon have to make a decision. She also thought of each of her daughters in turn with a dreadful sensation of finality. Somehow, she knew that this might be the end for her, and then what would happen to them if it were, she asked herself anxiously?

Prue was a reasonable girl but very stubborn, full of courage but also too eager in the face of danger. Phoebe was wild and sometimes even irresponsible, but she did have her sisters and at least, she thought, the others would help her, of that she was certain. At least she had been until Piper's new problem. Riding along, she couldn't help thinking that although she had always believed her to be the most stable of her daughters, she might have become a danger to herself, and even to them eventually. What if that man was not as nice and decent, as she believed he was she asked herself for the umpteenth time. But then Piper had asked her to trust in her judgement. "Should she?"

Again her mind returned to the problem at hand and with a sigh, once more she wondered if she would even be around to help them.

She looked at the stars and started to fear that maybe they wouldn't arrive in time. She then decided to keep her worries for later and concentrate on the ride. Penelope kicked the horse and held on tight. "Please let me get there in time," she finally thought.

Victor and the others were also riding as fast as they could, the horses breathed hard, but they were strong mounts, used to hard labor. They just weren't fast enough and Victor cursed under his breath more than once. Prue and her sisters were keeping silent ever since they had left the house. They all had a very bad feeling about their mother and no pain or fatigue would make them stop, as they also feared being too late. Leopold had taken his horse and ridden ahead of them. Piper was also worried about him. "What can he do all by himself?" She had wanted to ride with him but they had reasoned that they just didn't have enough horses and that 2 on the same mount would simply slow him down. Leopold assured her that he would catch up with her and stop her. She really hoped he did.

Penelope and Eliot arrived at the village just before dawn, and they stopped short of entering it. She still was debating what she should do when she noticed a crowd forming in the center of town. She didn't have the luxury of time anymore. She resolutely directed the horse toward the sheriff's office where she hoped she could intercede with him for her sisters.

On her way she couldn't help but see the stake already prepared for her sisters and she shuddered with renewed anguish. Inside the office, her and Eliot tried to get the attention of a deputy, as they couldn't find the sheriff.

Penelope:

"I'm sorry?" She said in as firm a voice as she could find, "could you tell me where I could find the sheriff?"

The deputy turned to her curiously:

"Why do you want to see him? It's rather early and besides we are really busy this morning."

Penelope:

"That is why I need to see him now, I want to talk to him about the ladies that you're holding prisoner."

The deputy:

"Not for much longer, thank god. I will feel much better when it's all over…"

Penelope's heart sank at the expression on the deputy's face. He looked so totally afraid of her sisters that she understood how it would be very difficult to convince anybody in this town that they shouldn't burn them. But she was not about to give up:

"I still need to talk to him, it's urgent."

The deputy:

"If it's that urgent you can find him at the church. Almost everybody is already there, praying for the souls of the witches." 

Penelope signaled to her companion that she was ready to go and without another word to the deputy she left the office. The deputy just shrugged as if he thought she was just some kind of nuts. After all, who would want to even talk about those witches? They were a curse that should be destroyed he told himself and he forgot all about the woman.

His main concern being to stay as far away from the holding cells as he could.

Penelope was tempted to go around the office, to try and talk to her sisters but there was no time for it, and she just hoped that they would have the chance after she stopped this horrible event.

The deputy had been right, the church was packed, but rather than prayer, it looked more like a rally where people were made to hate the witches and what they represented more and more by the moment. The Pastor was inflaming them with a sermon that made Penelope shiver anew.

"We have been too complacent with witches in the past, not believing that their ways were evil, but today we know that it wasn't true. Evil gave them the powers that they possess and they are willing to use it against us, the righteous. We have to be the hand of God, and make sure that the sinners will be removed from our midst."

The sermon was continuing but Penelope had heard enough and when she spotted the sheriff she went to him immediately.

"Sheriff, I need to talk to you alone please."

The Sheriff looked at her in surprise:

"What is it that cannot wait until after the execution, I have enough to do right now?"

Penelope:

"I want to talk to you about the Warren sisters…"

The Sheriff:

"There isn't anything more to say about those evil doers. They will soon be purified and so will our village."

Penelope:  
"Please come outside with me, just for a moment, please."

The Sheriff finally moved toward the door with her, albeit reluctantly.

Even outside she could still hear part of the sermon but she tried to ignore it and concentrated on the Sheriff:

"Sheriff, you have to stop this madness. I know that they are not guilty of the horrible crimes that you are accusing them of. I know them to be peaceful and loving. Not at all evil, on the contrary."

The Sheriff:

"You don't know what you are talking about woman, these are for sure the devil incarnate, they killed a little girl and who knows how many more that we do not know about?"

Penelope was now more and more desperate:

"You cannot believe that. Haven't you known them for years to be good people?"

The Sheriff:

"They were just good at hiding their evil, that's all. Thank God the Pastor saw through it. Now we will be free of this."

Penelope:

"NO! You cannot do that, you cannot mean that."

The Sheriff was now becoming angry:

"Go on your way woman, or maybe I'll have you interrogated by the Pastor."

Penelope took a step back at the obvious threat and right then she knew that nothing she could say would save her sisters. At least, not in the normal way.

She finally took the step that she dreaded and started concentrating intensely on the Sheriff, pushing a thought in his mind with all the strength that she could muster. After a moment as he was about to reenter the church, she saw him hesitate as if he was not certain of his intentions anymore. She pushed harder and he turned back to her.

She then told him in a very different voice:

"You will come with me and free the Warren sisters now."

He hesitated a little more and she repeated the command at least twice before he started toward his office. She followed him closely, fearful of losing the tenuous grip that she had on him. They were almost there when someone coming from the place, accosted him:

"Sheriff, we are ready."

The Sheriff didn't even acknowledge the man and continued on his way. But the man was not going to be ignored and he tried to grasp his arm. The Sheriff just shrugged him off and continued on his way as if he had not been there in the first place. The man now screamed at him irritated. This attracted the attention of other villagers and of a stranger that had been standing just at the edge of the circle formed by the onlookers. It was the same magical being who had been watching the proceeding the day before, and now he was approaching the spot where the commotion was coming from with a falsely casual interest. He saw the angry man first, than he noticed the Sheriff still moving toward the office with the man in tow and finally he noticed Penelope who was keeping her eyes firmly on the sheriff's back, speaking under her breath.

The tall man went straight to the little group and put himself between Penelope and the Sheriff. In a moment the Sheriff stopped, wondering what he was doing there, and turning toward the newcomer, he noticed that the woman was right behind him, but still didn't understand what was happening.

The dark man turned toward the witch and without hesitation he pointed at her, fixing her with his icy blue eyes:

"That's a witch too, she is trying to save her evil friends."

Immediately, the crowd started to assemble around them with fearful yet curious looks toward Penelope and her heart sank. She tried to tk some of them out of the way, but the tall man held on to her then more came and she couldn't do anything anymore. 

Two deputies who were escorting her sisters out of the office in chains saw the crowd and one of them went toward it while the other brought the two witches to the stake, tying them up to it rapidly. The crowd started screaming:

"Witch, Witch!"

This brought the rest of the congregation out of the church and toward them. 

Leopold had pushed his horse to the limit and he arrived to see the villagers ganging up on Piper's mother. He didn't lose any time and tried to get to her after dismounting. He pushed his way through and stood fast in front of her. Penelope looked at him in amazement wondering what he was doing there but now was not the time for explanations.

Leopold:

"What are you doing? Have you all gone mad? You're attacking an innocent woman."

This seemed to make them hesitate somewhat and the Pastor found his way to the center in turn.

"What is it?"

One of the villagers came to him:

"This woman, she used powers against us."

Leopold:

"What is this invention, she is just here to talk to you about her sisters."

Unfortunately, Leopold just put oil on the fire with this revelation and the Pastor approached them.

"What is it that the boy is saying? You are their sister?"

Penelope didn't dare say anything as she felt that this crowd was ready to pounce on them. But the Pastor insisted:

"Come on woman, talk."

Penelope took a deep breath and started:

"Yes they are my sisters and they are innocents of your accusations."

Pastor O'Reilly:

"Innocents you say? They killed a little girl with their powers, we all know that now."

Penelope:

"That is a lie, my sister would never hurt an innocent…

And how are they supposed to have done this horrible crime?"

Penelope almost immediately regretted her outburst but she was now getting very angry with all of them.

Pastor O'Reilly:

"And that comes from the sister of witches…"

Penelope knew then that her worst fears had come true. "Oh my girls what are you going to do?"

The Pastor decided to delay the execution to question this one personally, and Leopold saw that there was nothing that he could do to prevent this. He could no longer resent the poor woman for her rejection of him as he saw the suffering that was coming to her.

They moved her to the Sheriff's office where as they did to her sisters, the deputies put chains on her.

Meanwhile the tall man gave a satisfied look at the situation and discreetly left the place.

Victor and the girls were now desperate. Daylight had come almost an hour earlier and they dreaded what they would find in Oakridge. Try as they may they couldn't get there on time or at least that is what they thought. When they arrived at the edge of the village though, they could see that they still had a chance as their aunts were still alive and they could see their mother nowhere near the site.

Prue and her sisters were about to get off the carriage when their father stopped them.

Victor:

"Girls, I want you to stay back, just in case. You know what they will want to do to you if they understand what you are."

The sisters gave a look of surprise to their father who had been denying their gift all of his life. But now, he was too upset about his wife and them to try denying the truth anymore.

"I will go myself and find out what is happening."

Prue was about to protest but he lifted a firm hand in front of her to silence her.

"No discussion, you stay away."

Prue obviously disagreed but she obeyed her father.

He had only gone a few feet from the carriage when he saw his wife coming out of the Sheriff's office. He could see the despair on her face and somehow knew that she was about to do something terrible.

It didn't take long for him to be proven right.

Penelope had been grilled for this whole hour but it was evident from the questions asked that she had already been condemned, so she had started forming a desperate plan. All during the questioning, she had tkd her chains ever so looser but not totally off of her. The moment that she was brought closer to her sisters, she shook the chains loose and tried to run, while at the same time attempting to tk her sisters' chains loose also. But she had not counted on the determination of the villagers and they encircled her under the horrified gaze of Victor, who started running toward them. As the villagers were pushing Penelope toward the stake, the Pastor signaled the executioner to start the fire, which he did immediately. Paula and Phyllis screamed of fright now as well as sorrow for their sister who had come to help, but now found herself in the same dire situation.

All this signaled to the Halliwell girls that things had gone terribly wrong and they didn't hesitate anymore.

Prue ran toward her aunts and she tkd the executioner away from them, and then she did the same with the chains, succeeding where her mother had failed since they had been practicing their craft regularly.

Phoebe froze most of the crowd immediately and stood ready to strike if necessary with her other power, although she was still unsure about this one. Prue on the other hand didn't hesitate to use hers as the fire was coming dangerously close to her aunts who were encircled by it and still couldn't escape. She used her ice power to extinguish the flames as fast as she could, then helped her aunts off the pyre.

Victor had already reached his wife but was still frozen right beside her. Phoebe came and unfroze him alone, and then they all ran to the carriage. But just then the villagers started unfreezing and some of them noticed the witches escaping. Many picked up their weapons and ran toward the carriage screaming invectives at them. Victor turned the horses around and started up the road followed by the crowd. When they saw that the witches were going to get away, some of them started to shoot in their direction. Leopold had just unfrozen himself and seeing what was happening, he mounted his horse and went after them, pushing some of the villagers with his feet along the way. Phoebe had managed to freeze most of the bullets and they were now too far to be hit so they began to relax.

But then Piper looked back and saw Leopold fall from the horse holding his chest and she screamed in anguish. She even tried to jump off the carriage but her sisters held fast to her. 

It wasn't until they were at a few miles ahead of the crowd that they realized that someone else had been hit. Their mother had felt the bullet but at first she thought that she had simply hit the back seat because of their speedy retreat. Finally when the danger seemed past, she looked down at herself and let out a little scream when she realized that she was bleeding.

Prue turned toward her and also saw the blood. She immediately let go of Piper to come to her mother, putting her hand firmly where she presumed the bullet had caused the bleeding. Piper almost used that moment to jump but then she saw her mother bleeding as well and abandoned the idea. Phoebe noticed too and screamed.

"Oh my god!"

The now crowded carriage was slower than before and Victor although alerted by his daughter' scream didn't dare stop or look back. Prue and now Piper tried their best to tend to their mother in spite of the rolling. 

Leopold had felt a sudden pain in his chest and then everything started to blur around him. He was dead before he hit the ground. Yet, he felt like someone was coming to him. It was a person yes, but made of an almost blinding white light. The apparition extended a hand toward him and he took it without hesitation. He felt himself being lifted from the ground and somehow found that they were flying. But when he looked back he saw his body still on the ground and he knew that he was dead. He almost let go of the apparition's hand to try and return, but suddenly the being of light turned to him:

"Your time on earth is not over but you have to come with me now, you have a greater destiny." 

Leopold was now resigned and almost at peace but his thoughts turned to Piper and he also felt infinite regrets. The dual sensation was strange to him. The being of light smiled at him:

"Don't worry, the one you love will be safe and maybe one day you'll see her again."

Without knowing exactly why, he trusted his word implicitly and they suddenly moved rapidly away…

The tall man reappeared in a cave lighted with torches and he crossed a large arch entering an inner chamber. He was content with himself and showed it as he was nearing the center of the chamber, occupied by an elevated platform where stood a throne. Stone steps were leading up to it but he stood at the bottom, waiting.

The hooded man sitting on the throne talked without having even looked in his direction:  
"Belthazor, you failed me…"

The demon looked surprised:

"No my lord, the witches are surely burning as we speak."

The figure turned on him and looked at him with glowing red eyes:

"No they most certainly are not. They escaped."

Belthazor:

"That's impossible, I saw the crowd bringing them to the stake myself and there even was another witch as a bonus."

The hooded man:

"You're arrogance will be your downfall. Three more came and freed the first ones. It is fortunate that I sent another observer. I might not have known of this otherwise."

Belthazor lowered his head in apparent sign of submission but it was mostly to hide the contempt in his expression.

The hooded man:

"I should kill you on the spot for your negligence." Belthazor was now worried. But then the hooded man spoke again:

"But I won't, by regard to your past success I will spare you. But do not expect that I will forgive another mistake."

Belthazor kept his head down and left the room slowly backing away.

Outside the room the look of contempt returned and he thought:

"Whoever you are witches, I will find you and get my revenge."

He shimmered away…

Victor had finally stopped the carriage in a clearing and he was now standing over his wife. The life was visibly draining out of her in spite of their efforts. The girls were crying inconsolably, and Piper thought that her sorrow would never end. In one day she had lost the love of her life and now she was going to lose her mother as well. It was almost too much to bear.

But Penelope found enough strength to talk to them at last.

"My girls, today you have seen the reason why I was so afraid for you, but it's only one of the reasons. I wish only that I could protect you against this. But it seems that my time in this world is coming to an end…"

Prue:

"No mother don't say that."

Penelope in a weak voice:

"Nothing can change that anymore, but I can still help protect you. You will go to my mother's house. Change your last name and promise me that you will not use magic. Only this way will you be safe."

Phoebe:

"But mother, we saved your sisters with magic."

Penelope turned a painful look at her younger daughter:

"The danger we were facing is nothing compared to what might come to you if you persist. Promise me, so that I can die in peace."

The girls cried anew at her words but they promised.

Penelope:

"Piper?" Her daughter came closer and took her hand.

"Yes mother" she said through her tears.

Penelope:  
"I wronged you and I'm sorry. I should have trusted your judgement about Leopold, he was truly a good man. I'm so sorry my sweet."

Piper could barely contain her sobbing:

"Oh mother, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten angry with you."

Penelope managed a little smile:

"I'll gladly forgive you if you'll forgive me."

Piper:

"Of course mother, just don't die."

Penelope's head fell back, and she didn't have the strength to speak anymore. Shortly after she surrendered to death.

Victor took her in his arms and rocked her back and forth crying for the first time in front of his daughters. For a long time, no one said or did anything. Then they put their mother's body in the back of the carriage covering her respectfully and they started back toward the house of their birth. 

Penelope' sisters promised the girls that they would take care of everything for them, and helped them prepare for the trip that would bring them far away from this place. The funerals were quickly arranged, as they feared that someone would find them. And that same evening, they put their belongings in the carriage and said good bye forever to the only home that they had ever known. Prue had gone to see Andrew that afternoon, and he swore to her that he would go to her soon. She made him promise never to reveal to anyone where they were going. Andrew was greatly pained by her departure, all the more so because Prue couldn't explain her reasons to him. She promised to wait for him and sadly left him behind after they had kissed passionately. The kiss had been full of promises and Andrew swore again that he would be with her soon.

Unfortunately, a week after they had left town, something happened that gave him doubts about the woman he loved. A posse from Oakridge came to town, looking for a group of witches, and it didn't take them long to find out that they had been part of the Halliwell's family. He never revealed their whereabouts, but he didn't go to her either. His family convinced him that he was better off this way. Who knows what they might have done to him, they would tell him. And even if it pained him greatly, he believed them…

Five years later, things had changed a lot for the now named Bennett sisters. They were living in the ancestral manor, and no one knew that they were witches where they were. They were said to have bought the house from the now defunct Halliwell's family. Their father had passed away not very long after their mother and their aunts had chosen to go live far away from the region. They had stayed only long enough to make sure that the girls would be provided for, thanks to an inheritance from their grand mother.

Piper had managed to get over Leopold's death after many months of grieving although, even now, the thought of him had the power to darken her days. But it happened less and less. Prue had resigned herself to never see Andrew again. She had no idea what kept him away from her for she didn't dare write to him and he never did. For the last five years, they had respected their mother's wish and regretfully put aside any practice of magic. The little city of Mapleville that they now were calling home was a pleasant enough place to live. They had gotten into a certain routine, although Prue always worried about Phoebe's philandering ways, who had not really changed much from the time she was seventeen. She had flourished into a beautiful young woman, but she used her many charms to collect conquests. Many men had been pulled into her charming trap, but she never gave her heart to any of them.

Piper was also more beautiful then ever, with a freshness about her that turned heads. But although a few suitors had tried to melt her heart, she had sworn not to fall in love again. And until now, she had kept her promise to herself. She never wanted to feel the sorrow that she had because of Leopold again.

So that, in spite of their youth and beauty, the three girls were still single by the time that Prue celebrated her 25th birthday. But that day, their lives were going to change forever…

At breakfast, Phoebe started on her big sister:

"Hey sis, you do know that you are officially becoming a spinster today?"

Prue:

"Keep that to yourself" she answered, but still amused. "Who needs a man after all?"

Phoebe:

"On that, I agree at least. They are only good to admire you and well…"

Piper:

"Oh Phoebe when are you going to grow up?"

Phoebe:

"That's rich from you, you have sworn them all out of your life for good…"

Piper:

"That's not true…"

Phoebe:

"Is so." But then she saw the pain returning to Piper's face and she regretted her comments:

"I'm sorry sister, I was insensitive."

Piper:

"No you were just yourself and I don't really want you to change. Sometimes it's good to have an unfettered perspective. Me and Prue haven't had much luck in men and that has made us really cynical."

Prue:

"Speak for yourself, I just think that I haven't found the right one that's all. Once upon a time, I thought that I had, but he proved to be less than I had hoped for that's all."

Piper:

"I'm sure too that one day, it will work out with someone but I'm really not ready for this."

Phoebe now smiling again:

"Well, girls, when you are ready to move on, come to me and I'll give you pointers on the best bachelors in town."

Prue:

"As if we would want your leftovers." She replied with a grin.

Piper added with a smile:

"And if we don't want that to happen, we better make a decision soon or it will be too late for that." She mocked.

Phoebe couldn't help but laugh at this even as she protested:

"Oh you two!"

They all laughed bringing back a lighter atmosphere to the day.

That afternoon, Phoebe was reflecting on the best gift for her sister's birthday. "For once" she thought, "I would like it to be significant."

She had been thinking of shopping for some garment or other, but it all seemed so ordinary and not suited for this particular birthday. Then she began to think of their mother for some reason. At first she rejected the thought as it still held serious pain. But she reasoned that five years had passed and that now maybe would be a good time to remember her. The house they were now living in was a three story house with the principal amenities on the first floor, their bedrooms on the second floor and the attic which none of them had visited since they had come to live there. The reason for it had been the very fact that the girls were not ready to be reminded of their mother. The day they had moved to this house, their aunts had stored most of her effects in there. And none of them had wanted to see these things again. It was too painful to even think about. 

Phoebe surprised herself with the new thought that came to her. She was the one who had been the most adamant in locking the room forever, but now she felt an impulse that even she couldn't explain. She slowly started up the stairs, now decided to confront her own demons.

Prue had, for her part, decided to indulge herself on this day and she was on her way to shop in a French clothing store reputed for the beautiful yet daring style that she loved to wear. She had decided on a walk rather than using the carriage as it was a beautiful spring day and she knew that the dress she intended to buy would need adjustment and could be delivered. She was almost at the boutique when a loud scream attracted her attention, coming from an alley adjacent to the street. She hesitated only an instant then directed her steps toward the noise. There she found an ugly spectacle that made her gasp. A tall man with strange features was towering over a lady in peasant clothing. At first, she thought that she was one of those ladies of poor morality and that he was her unhappy client. She almost turned around when the strange man pulled a knife, one as she had never seen before, and prepared to strike the poor girl. At this, and for the first time in five years, Prue didn't hesitate and tkd the man away from the girl. He immediately reacted by standing up again and coming toward her instead, still brandishing the knife. Now that she could have a good look at him, she got really scared. He had larger eyes than normal and they were black as night with no white at all. His ears were somewhat smaller than normal also and his skin had a grayish color to it with what she thought were spots of a darker gray. He was very tall and muscular. All of this she took in an instant and reacted by tking him backward, than she ran to the girl. She saw that he wouldn't give up, when he then threw a fireball at her. She dodged the fireball by very little, and then she used her most powerful power on him, freezing him solid. She took the girl's hand and they ran out of the alley as fast as they could.

The fear gave her a real motivation. Although she was quiet convinced that he was dead now, she pulled the girl all the way to their house barely looking back a few times to make sure that she wasn't mistaken in her assumption, no matter how illogical it may have seemed. There was also the fact that killing that man had been a terrible thing for her to do. 

There she invited the still shaking girl inside and, after offering her a cup of tea, she proceeded to interrogate her gently but firmly on the attack.

"Who was that man, or thing?"

The girls smiled weakly:

"Don't you know about demons?"

Prue was a bit disconcerted:

"Demons? I know of the bible's demons but I never heard of one coming to attack us on this earth."

The girl:

"That is strange, as I could see that you are also a witch, how could you not know?"

Prue frowned and it suddenly brought back to her the memory of her mother's warning the day she died. She had told them that what they had seen was nothing compared to the dangers that they might face were they to assume their gift.

Meanwhile, Piper was preparing their evening meals. She was putting great care in this, although she knew that she had a definitive talent for it any other day. A few minutes earlier, she had heard the door open and close, but since no one but them entered the manor unannounced, she just assume that Prue had come back early from her shopping. Still, now she was surprised that she had not come to sneak up on her cooking, as she would usually do. She then decided to go ask her if everything was all right.

She was at least a little surprised to find her with company, as they had not been expecting any visitors, and this one seemed somewhat unkempt, not the kind of friends that they usually entertained these days.

"Prue? Who is this?" She asked with a little smile.

Prue:

"I think you might want to hear what she has to say too."

Piper frowned at the serious expression of her sister:

The girl:

"I forgot to introduce myself with all that happened," she said looking at both of them. "My name is Rebecca Steeler, and I came from a far away village, in the hope of escaping the witch hunt but only to fall in the hands of a demon."

Piper:

"Demon? What are you talking about?"

Prue gave her a knowing look as she herself was trying to make sense of what she was hearing. Although the witch hunt did strike a nerve with her:

"You're saying that they are still after witches back there?"

Rebecca:

"More than ever. There is a Pastor that has devoted his life now to find and try witches. His name is…"

Prue filled in the blank:

"Pastor O'Reilly?"

Rebecca:

"Oh so you know of him?"

A cloud of pain washed over the sisters' faces:

"We had an unfortunate encounter with him and his followers a few years back yes."

Rebecca:

"Well now he has enlisted many more men of the cloth, and a crowd of witches haters. They are relentless and already have caused the death of many of our sisters."

Prue and Piper grimaced at this generalization since they barely felt any connection to other witches.

Prue:

"Now could you explain to us what you meant by demon please?"

Rebecca was about to do just that when Phoebe, returning from the attic, interrupted:

"I think I know…"

The others turned to her in surprise.

Earlier, Phoebe had been entering the attic with dread; afraid of the painful memories of her parents that it would bring. It never came to her mind that she would find anything remotely related to witchcraft there. When she had finally found the courage to confront her fears, she entered to find only an ensemble of bric-a-brac that had belonged to her family and didn't really made her feel as bad as she had feared. She gingerly moved toward those and started sampling one object after another, searching for the perfect memento to offer Prue.

After a while she had come to her mother's dresser. One she remembered, her mother had forbidden the access even to their father. She had said that it was her only little private space and wanted to keep it that way. Phoebe, recalling this, still hesitated some more. It was difficult to forget years of warning from her mother. But now she reasoned, she would certainly not mind me looking into it. So, she went and tried to open the drawer but it was still locked. In frustration, she set out to try and find the key to open it. But the moment that she had turned away from the dresser, a noise made her look back and to her amazement she saw the drawer open on its own. She hesitated for a while, frightened as she was by this unseemly event. But curiosity won in her and she went back to it. Inside the drawer she saw an assortment of strange objects and bottles. But what caught her attention was the ancient book with the even stranger carving. She took it cautiously, careful not to break it, and also still wondering about the unnatural way the drawer had opened. Then she found her mother's rocking chair and went to sit. She flipped through the pages of the book, amazed at the pictures and the odd writing. She could see that this tome was filled with some kind of chants, and she wondered about her mother now. She had always suspected that their gifts must have come through her but Penelope had always denied it, or at least she had until that faithful day. Still, even then she had not admitted being a witch herself. The proof was right there in her hands now, undeniable. She was about to close the book when it started flipping rapidly on its own and stopped suddenly on a page where she thought the entries looked much more recent then the rest. The first one had obviously been written to her mother and confirmed her suspicions but the second one made her jump:

"To my grand daughters, if you read those words, it will mean that your mother has finally come to her senses. You are special my girls. I've always known it, even before you were born. You have a great destiny, one that might spell danger to you all, but one that you owe yourselves to fulfil. You are witches, this I know that you all are aware of, no matter what your mother did to hide it. But you are so much more. You have been born to be the greatest force for good that ever lived. You have a duty to become what you were meant to. I'm asking you to consider this as everyone is counting on you, even if they do not know it. Your fight will not be with the people of this world, but with the evil of another, which is always trying to destroy this one. Always remember your destiny."

She had barely finished reading the page when the book started flipping pages again and fell on a small but significant chant:

"The power of three will set us free!"

And that is when she had returned to the living room with the book in hand and great excitement in her heart.

Prue:

"What do you mean you know what this is?"

Phoebe:

"I'm not sure about the demon part, but I now know that we were meant to fight it, together."

Her sisters looked at her in astonishment:

Prue:

"And what gave you such a revelation?"

Phoebe gave her the book and opened it for her at the page of her grand mother's entry.

Prue read it and Phoebe saw that she also understood the implication.

Piper read it also over her shoulder, but she reacted very differently, still trying to deny her own part in this.

"These are only words. They do not mean that we should break our promise to mother."

Prue:

"I'm afraid that I already broke it today."

Piper looked at her with reproach:

"I thought that you had accepted to drop magic for good?"

Prue:

"The situation made it impossible to avoid. I have to admit, what I was facing looked nothing like a normal man…"

Rebecca:

"As I was saying, it was a demon. One of many who have been trying to destroy the forces of good since the dawn of time. And you haven't destroyed it yet." She added this with a significant look toward the city, her expression still one of a frightened woman.

Rebecca:

"He will try to find me again. Demons do not give up easily on their prey and now that you helped me, you have become a target too."

Prue:

"How can you say that? I froze him solid. He surely is dead by now."

Rebecca looked at her incredulous:

"How can you be witches and what's more from what you're saying, powerful ones and not know nothing at all about the danger that we face everyday?"

Phoebe:

"It's a little complicated, and we still have to figure out what caused our mother to hide things from us, but if you could at least enlighten us on this particular demon…"

Rebecca:

"His name is Gregor, and he is a minor demon in his own world, but still powerful enough to be a great danger to witches."

Phoebe gasped in amazement and a little fear. But her instincts were awaken right away. She had always been ready to face danger fully just like Prue, and if something was coming their way, she intended to be ready for it. So did Prue but she still asked:

"And what makes you think that he isn't dead?"

Rebecca:

"Only a specific spell or the powers of very strong witches could defeat him. He will simply melt and come after me again, and you."

Prue, true to form replied:

"Well we will be waiting for him." She had an air of determination on her face now, one that was shared only by Phoebe. Piper still tried to convince them otherwise:

"My sisters, don't you remember our promise. We were supposed to forget about magic forever…"

Prue:

"I'm afraid that magic had not forgotten us."

Piper grimaced and tried again:

"Don't you see the danger. Don't you remember what happened to mother because of magic? And Rebecca here, confirms that the danger most certainly hasn't passed."

Phoebe:

"If it is our destiny Piper, then we owe it to ourselves to at least consider it. I have felt unfulfilled ever since I gave up on my powers. And no matter what you say, I know that you have too."

Piper bit her lower lip. She had tried very hard not to think about it for a long time, but she couldn't deny that deep inside she also missed it. The only powers she had developed, was the one of premonition but she knew that most probably she also, like her sisters, was liable to get more powers if she practiced with them. And she started to wonder in spite of herself what those powers could be…

Prue:

"There might be something that I could do to verify your story, Rebecca. I also have the power of projecting myself at great distances. But I haven't used it in years. I hope it will work." Then she started concentrating on the alley they had been in earlier. With a greater effort than she remembered needing in the past, she finally managed to project there. The moment she materialized in the alley, she knew that Rebecca had been right. She had half expected to find the demon or whatever that was, lying on the ground there. But instead she saw him ready to move as he had completely melted. He looked very angry and when he saw her immediately pounced. She rapidly dematerialized and turned eyes full of fear toward her sisters:

"Rebecca was right, he is alive and very angry."

Piper:

"Do you think that he knows where we are?"

Prue:

"I don't think so but I'm sure that he will be waiting for us."

Phoebe:

"Then maybe we should try and find a way to defeat him first."

Piper:

"And how are we supposed to do that?"

Phoebe:

"This book contains more than just our grand mother's message. It also contains strange pictures and chants that seemed to me like some sort of spells."

Rebecca:

"Yes it must be your book of shadows…"

Prue:

"Pardon me?"

Rebecca:

"Every witch has one, but some are more powerful than others. In it you will find not only description of demons and warlocks alike but also often the way to defeat them just as your sister guessed."

Phoebe didn't wait anymore and took the book back from Prue's lap. After a few minutes of research she happily told them that she had found an entry for the demon Rebecca described.

Prue came to her immediately, reading with her:

"Gregor is a vile demon, with the power of throwing fireballs, to morph and shimmer. He is immune to the time freezing power. He can only be defeated with the following spell."

She read the spell to herself but understood that in order to use it they would have to be in front of him.

Phoebe was a little discouraged by his immunity to her most useful power but still thought it encouraging that he could be defeated at all.

Rebecca burst their enthusiasm:

"I must tell you that this spell, I tried myself and it had no effect on him. Maybe there is another reason. I, myself, have only one power, one of deflection, which is why he attacked me with the knife instead. And maybe I am not powerful enough to use the spell."

Prue:

"If what Grams wrote in the book is true, maybe we are."

Phoebe:

" But first, she began looking directly at Piper, we have to figure out where he is."

Piper:

"Wait a minute you two, you're not suggesting that we went after him now are you?"

Prue:

"I think that it's a better idea than to wait for him to find us and kill us."

Piper:

"This is insane. And I don't want to participate in this madness."

Phoebe:

"Grams was very clear in her writing, Piper. We need the power of three to succeed, I'm convinced of this."

Piper:

"And what makes you so sure of this?"

Phoebe then found the entry that she was referring to and handed the book still open to her.

Piper:

"That still doesn't mean that we should go and look for trouble."

Prue:

"But if it is our destiny?"

Piper:

"It doesn't make sense. If we truly were destined to do this, then why did mother try to hide it from us?"

Prue:

"She had her own reasons, I'm sure. But think what you want, for my part I've always known inside that there was much more that we should be doing."

Phoebe:

"I have always felt this too."

Piper sighed:

"And what am I supposed to do?"

Phoebe:

"I was thinking that maybe you could try and have a premonition…"

Piper:

"I only had one of those in almost 10 years, what makes you think that I could now?"

Phoebe:

"But you never really tried. If you did, I'm convinced that it still might happen."

Piper was still torn by the thought of her promise to Penelope. But at the same time her sisters' insistence were wearing her down. "What if…?" she thought to herself.

Then after a moment she turned back to them and they could see that she was almost ready to embark with them:

"If I want to do this, I will still need an object or something to give me the premonition. Do we have something of his?"

Prue:

"Not really, but I was thinking that we could all go back to the alley and you could try to find something there."

Piper frowned but had to agree even if reluctantly.

Prue took another look-see in the alley before they got on their way and assured them that he had left.

Once there they still entered cautiously, unsure if he wasn't just simply watching for them, but he didn't show up, so Piper started walking slowly around it. She concentrated as much as she could but after ten minutes of this she had yet to get a premonition. Prue was also looking around, careful though, not to get in her way. She got to the wall where she had tkd him earlier and said:

"Eureka!"

Phoebe:

"What do you mean?"

Prue:

"Look here, there is a piece of clothing, most probably his." She took it and brought it to Piper who immediately got the vision they were trying for:

"In a bar, a tall man with blond hair and almost black eyes was sitting, sipping a drink while watching every new arrival carefully, then he got up and she could see him on the street still looking around, obviously searching for something or someone."

Piper took a deep breath; the vision had been draining. But she looked askance toward the others before telling them what she had seen:

"I saw a man, not a demon. He was blond with very dark eyes. He looked like he was searching…"

Rebecca:

"As you read in the book of shadows, he can morph and actually so can most demons. That is how they move unseen in the human world…"

And just now, the three sisters understood what their parents had been so afraid of all those years. It made all the sense in the world now. 

They looked at each other, knowing that they all thought of the same thing:

Prue:

"Why didn't she tell us?"

But none of them had a clear answer to that one and in fact, it was only a rhetorical question on her part.

Rebecca:

"But at least now you know what he looks like in his human form, that will make it easier for you."

Piper:

"Easier said than done!"

Prue:

"Come on we need you to tell us if you recognize him."

They started walking toward the center of town where Piper was convinced that he still was.

On the way, they were discussing the implications of what they were about to do. The girls were very unsure about the killing part, which they preferred to call vanquishing in the same manner that Rebecca was using. But it still meant taking a life and that's something none of them had ever envisioned to do. Rebecca convinced them that demons were ruthless murderers and that it was their duty to vanquish them to protect the innocents. 

But no matter all her assurances, they still felt very badly about it.

Piper finally spotted the man from her vision on the street, he seemed to be still looking for someone and she assumed that must have been them. The girls went cautiously closer, unwilling to confront him in front of a crowd. The last thing that they wanted was to trigger a witch-hunt in their own town. So Prue devised a plan that would bring him in a deserted part of town. She made sure of where he was and they moved toward an abandoned quarter with decrepit housing. From there she astral projected in an alley she knew to be unfrequented and stepped out making sure he would see her. That didn't take long and he immediately went after her. But in the same manner as the witches, he seemed unwilling to attract attention to himself and that made for a slow pursuit, which suited Prue just fine. It wasn't until they were out of sight that he accelerated, trying to catch up with her, then he simply threw one of his fireballs toward her and Prue dematerialized before it hit her. That enraged the demon and he growled. But then she reappeared and he decided to follow her anyway. Prue was thinking that he wasn't very smart when, looking back, she saw that he had disappeared. She felt something pulling her back and she returned to her body. The others looked very scared and she understood why immediately. The demon in his ugly form now, had caught Rebecca by the throat and was ready to stab her. But he was keeping her in front of him for protection. Prue didn't hesitate and astral projected again behind him, kicking him hard. It almost didn't work as he was holding tight to his prey, but he turned toward the new threat and Prue hit him again as hard as she could. He finally loosened his grip on Rebecca who ran away. The demon gripped her and she disappeared again. Now the girls understood that they should act rapidly if they wanted to get through this alive and they stopped worrying about the moral thing. The sisters huddled together instinctively as if they knew that their combined powers was infinitely more than their individual powers.

Then they recited not the vanquishing spell, but the simple phrase that they somehow understood held more power.

"The power of three will set us free"

They repeated the phrase a few times and the effect was impressive. The demon started distorting in front of them as if being pulled apart. He growled in pain and the girls felt disgusted. Then he positively exploded in front of them.

They looked at the spot now vacant where the demon had stood in amazement. They had expected a lot of things but not that. 

Rebecca came toward them with surprise on her face.

"Could it be?"

Phoebe, at last turned to her questioning:

"What could be?"

Rebecca:

"There is a legend among witches. It talks of three witches with powers rivaled only by the most powerful among demons. They are supposedly destined to be the ultimate protectors of the innocents."

Prue:

"That can be us, we didn't even know about those things until today," she says indicating the spot where the demon was vanquished.

Rebecca:  
"I can't be sure of course, but it would fit. You three are sisters, deeply connected to each other. That may be the source of this enormous power that was announced."

Piper:

"I'm not sure that this isn't all nonsense. But what we saw today, I never imagined that it existed…"

Phoebe:

"How are we supposed to defend all the innocents?"

Rebecca:

"I can't tell you that, but now that you have come in the open, I would be very careful. It's possible that the forces of darkness may have noticed what just happened."

That scared them. They headed back home with very disturbing thoughts on their mind.

The next day, when nothing else had happened, Rebecca took her leave of the sisters after again expressing her gratitude to them. She only said that she was going to move away from this part of the country, and the girls could understand her eagerness to go away from all this.

In the underworld, a trio of hooded men, if you could call them men, had received some disturbing news.

"Gregor has disappeared. He was sent to destroy the witch with deflection powers. It should have been a simple task. What happened?"

A stunted man with a round face and bulging eyes answered them from the center of the circle that they were forming:

"I don't know how, but he was destroyed."

One of the hooded men:

"If she did this, we cannot let this pass, you will go and finish her."

The stunted man:

"As you order." And he shimmered out. He arrived in the town where they had last heard of the demon Gregor, and started his search for the witch. It didn't take him long to spot her as she was preparing to leave town with the next coach. He waited until she was out of town and shimmered directly beside her in the coach, killing her instantly.

When this was done, he was left with the impression that it had been way too easy, considering that she was supposed to have killed Gregor. But he simply decided to rely what had happened, and not worry about this anymore, as he was more of a soldier than a thinker.

But his news had caught the attention of one demon with a grudge. One that reasoned that there had to be a better explanation for what had happened, and he set out to find out what that could be…


	3. 

Witch Trial Revisited Part 3 ****

Witch Trial Revisited Part 3

Belthazor or Cole Turner, as he was known in the human world, had a long memory. He was evil as evil goes. Had been for most of his life. It had been a hundred years since the human part of him had not resurfaced. He could still remember that at one time, he had been a very different person. But that memory carried no sense of regrets or longing. It had been when he was deluding himself that he could simply be human as his father had been, and that he could save his father' soul by doing what they asked of him.

At the time, he had thought it was the most important thing to him, but now, if they offered it to him he wouldn't have known what to do with it. This didn't change the fact that he wanted to be free of the Source's influence though. About that part of the deal, he still cared a lot. Who knows, he told himself, maybe soon I will find the perfect trading card for that. Lately he had been pulled between two distinct quests. One involved his desire for revenge against the witches who had caused his near disgrace with the source, and put him in the hands of the Triad. That had been a crushing blow to his ego, as he had been put into their service, as a punishment for his failure, no doubts. The other quest was more uncertain, but oh so much more promising. That was the one he thought would guaranty his freedom.

He had been thinking about it carefully, planning and pacing himself because he knew that if he were right about this, the task would spell great danger for him. But the spoil would be so sweet when he had succeeded; and he was sure that he would. He was not the Great Belthazor for nothing. In the last hundred years, and in spite of the slight disgrace he had suffered, his enormous powers and his cunning had earned him the title and the fear that accompanied it. Most demons still respected him as much as they were afraid of him. And that was exactly how he wanted things to be. In his own world, he was still believed to be the best at what he did, and it wasn't a little feat considering that he was by far the youngest among the upper demons and half-human. 

The Triad's arrival interrupted his train of thoughts and he prepared to make his proposal to them:

"My lords" he said lowering his head in a false sign of respect.

One of them:

"So you have something to offer?"

Belthazor looked up at him and started:

"I want to offer you the greatest prize there is. I would go after the fabled charmed ones…"

The first one:

"By yourself? We were told that these witches would be a serious threat to our side. And now you're suggesting that you could kill them by yourself?

Belthazor:

"I know that I can. If you give me the time and freedom to act, I will get them for you. But I will do this for a price…"

Another of the hooded demons:

"And what would that be," he said, giving the impression that he already knew but wanted him to say it nevertheless.

Belthazor:

"What I've always wanted. I want to be free." Then after a pause he added:

"And I want my father' soul…" The moment he had said it, he wondered why? What could have pushed him to ask? Was it just that he had been thinking about him a moment ago? Or was it that little voice inside of him that was always trying to come out?

He put it aside right away, preferring to forget about it. After all what did it matter? When he was free, he would have time to dwell on these little moments of weakness.

The second one:

"We might agree with this… But what makes you think that they really exist?"

Belthazor was ready:

"Multiple reports of demons and warlocks disappearing in the vicinity of a human city called Mapleville for once. That has been going on for a while now. I suspected it after we lost Gregor, but the latest news seems to confirm that a great force for good is at work there."

The first one:

"And how are you going to succeed where so many have failed?"

Belthazor:

"You shouldn't even have to ask me that. I am not like those other ones. The charmed ones are no match for me…"

The first one again:

"Still, will you tell us of your intentions?"

Belthazor:

"My plan is for me alone to know. You will get results and that is all you should need. All I want from you is the guaranty that once the task is done, I will get my prize…"

The second one, after they all looked at each other questioningly for a moment:

"So be it. If you succeed in bringing them down, you'll have earned your freedom." Then he added with contempt: "And your father' soul, if that is what you want."

Belthazor just nodded and shimmered before they could ad anything else…

At the manor, the girl's lives had changed tremendously ever since they had vanquished their first demon. In the last year, they had understood how evil was truly all around them. It had seemed so unbelievable at first. But then the attacks on innocents became more and more obvious and the girls had accepted, at least in part, their destiny. They still had no clue what said destiny really was, but it didn't matter as long as they could help innocents escape evil. To this, they were applying themselves with diligence and even enthusiasm by moments.

At first Piper had still been reluctant and occasionally the desire for a normal life was resurfacing. But she also had a big heart and she felt for those people being hurt by evil. This gave her all the motivation needed to continue the fight, even after they had risked their lives many times.

Piper:

"You know that life was infinitely simpler before, don't you?"

Phoebe:

"But never as much fun." She answered with a grin.

Phoebe had embraced her new status as a witch completely. It had given her a direction that she had been lacking before. It didn't keep her, however, from being the center of attention among the men of the city. Her beauty alone was enough to attract them to her, but she also took great pleasure into this. She was of petite stature but so full of energy that she turned every head her way.

Prue:

"You should take this stuff seriously Phoebe, it's not a game."

Phoebe:

"Come on Prue, there is no point in being so negative and serious. If we do, we will become bitter; and for my part, I intend to enjoy myself doing this. After all, we are fighting on the side of the greater good. That should be more than enough without us having to become old spinsters with no life."

Prue frowned:

"Is that a comment about me and Piper? You have no right to criticize. The way you are going, no man will ever want to marry you anyway."

Phoebe smiled teasingly:

"And what exactly made you think that I wanted to get married? All I want is to have a life; not to be confined here and being all about duty, that's all. After all, we face danger every day and we should be allowed a little distraction."

Piper:

"For my part at least," she said with a little offended look, "I did have a suitor at the house last night…"

Phoebe laughed:

"Yeah, and you said 3 words to him in the whole hour that he was here. The poor man didn't know what to do with himself…"

Piper:

"That is so not true!"

Phoebe:

"Is too… You have to lighten up."

Piper made a face at her sister but decided not to embark in one more of those futile arguments she seemed to enjoy.

A knock on the door gave her the excuse she needed.

Piper:

"I'll get it."

Phoebe:

"Chicken!"

Piper growled affectionately and went to the door without replying.

Prue:

"You know Phoebe one of these days, you will hit on a warlock or worse a demon…"

Phoebe:  
"No worries, I can take him if that happens."

Prue sighed.

Phoebe:

"Speaking of new men… Bernice told me of a handsome law clerk that just arrived in town."

Prue:

"Phoebe!"

Phoebe:

"What? He's most certainly on the side of good, yesterday on his first day in town he saved a little girl from a carriage according to her."

Prue:

"To trick us maybe?" She said seriously.

Phoebe:

"Oh come on Prue, I'll say it to you too, lighten up. He works with the judge on the side of the law. Besides you will see for yourself when I bring him home, that is if he is to my liking."

Prue teasing now:

"And what makes you think that you will be to his?"

Phoebe gave her an incredulous look that made Prue laugh in spite of herself.

Prue:

"Alright, alright, but be careful…"

Phoebe:

"As I always am."

Prue shook her head in disbelief.

"It's a good thing I love you little sister, because you can be so irresponsible."

Phoebe:

"And loving it," she answered.

At the door, Piper found a young man with his tool bag.

Piper:

"I suppose that you are the handyman we have been promised?"

The young man seemed speechless as he was staring at her and Piper asked again:

"Are you?"

He seemed to find his voice and Piper smiled inwardly, thinking that her charms might be just as good as Phoebe's.

The man:

"Yes," he says hesitantly, "yes I am."

Piper smiled gently:

"Then come on in, we do have some work for you."

Then to her sisters as she came back toward the sitting room:

"Hey girls, we're finally going to have a handyman to repair the little disasters…."

Prue gave her a warning look:

"Well that will be good… That last party was really a little too enthusiastic," she says looking in Phoebe's direction with a triumphal look about her.

Phoebe felt like making her a face but she knew that it was better to keep this version for the handyman.

Piper:

"Well, come with me," she told the young man, who seemed transfixed. Piper started wondering if something wasn't out of place on her. She finally asked:

"Are you ok or is it me?"

The young man seemed to pull out of his reveries with difficulties but then realized that she had noticed his state of mind:

"Oh no, nothing is wrong, sorry I was just a little distracted."

Piper started thinking again that she must have been the cause of his distraction and was very flattered, as he was a handsome man.

The young man:

"I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Leopold Barclay."

Piper jumped a little at the name but she recuperated quickly as it, of course, was not the Leopold that she had known. But if he had noticed anything, he wasn't saying.

Piper:

"As you can see," she told him, indicating a large hole in the wall and some burnt spots on the floor, " we had a few little accidents and are in dire need of repairs."

Leopold just acquiesced and started on his work immediately. He still couldn't help following her with his eyes as she left the room…

Piper was a little perplexed as she was going back to her sisters. She had assumed that the man would ask her how the floor came to be burned in so many different spots, but he had not even flinched at seeing this, and now she was getting suspicious…

In the sitting room, her sisters had quieted down. Now that they were not alone in the house, they didn't want to reveal anything inopportune. But Piper had a pressing question for Phoebe:

"Phoebe," she asked in a low voice, "do you still have that evil detecting spell?

Phoebe:

"I think so, why? You don't think that the…"

Piper:

"Keep it down," she replied quickly. "I don't know for sure," she continued in the same low voice, " but he didn't seem very surprised at the scorched marks on the floor…"

Phoebe:

"Maybe he is just not curious by nature?"

Prue:

"Better safe than sorry. Who knows what plans evil has in store for us?"

Piper said with a pensive expression:

"I sure hope that I am wrong though, because he seems like such a nice man."

Phoebe:

"You like?"

Piper:

"Don't be ridiculous Phoebe, I barely know the man."

But she couldn't help feeling something for the handsome handyman and that made her a little uncomfortable. Those stirrings inside of her, she had managed to bury them deep. But now, somehow, he had awakened something in her that scared and excited her at the same time.

Phoebe:

"Ok then, let me get it, and then we can make sure that your beau is safe for you."

Piper looked at her with annoyance but didn't comment as Phoebe was getting up to fetch the spell.

It didn't take her long to find it as it was still tucked in the BoS. 

Going back downstairs, she was wondering if she shouldn't use it occasionally on her own conquests, just in case like Prue had said, but she dismissed it. She knew that she could recognize evil by now. Only Piper's anxiety needed to be appeased and she was going to oblige.

Once she was back, Prue, Piper and she huddled, and they told the spell in a low voice, careful that he wouldn't hear:

"We Invoke the Power of Light

To help us reveal what Might

May the Truth to all be Clear,

Make all Evil to us Appear."

The reassuring silence brought a smile to Piper's lips. She was not expecting to really find him evil, but still was a little worried. Now, at least, she was certain that he was all that he appeared: just a man.

That afternoon, she spent going back and forth from the kitchen to the sitting room, pretending to survey the advance of his work but in reality, she simply was drawn to him. Only once in her life before had this happened, and now she was wondering if she really was ready to take the risk again. "At any rate," she told herself, "if it was to happen, I think that I could do worse." Her sisters were not duped by her pretense either, but they chose not to remark on this as they knew how long it had been since she had shown genuine interest in a man. And after all, they had just proven that he wasn't evil…

As the afternoon came to a close, Leopold had already achieved a lot of the work that they had ordered, but he knew for a fact that those girls would need a handyman around. The elders had been smart in their choice for a cover. But Leopold almost wished that they had not chosen him for this assignment. His love for Piper had not diminished in the least. He had thought that he could see her and accept the anonymity of his disguise, but right then, he was wondering how long he could hide his feelings from her. In spite of himself, he was happy that she was still alone. He knew that it was selfish and undignified of a Whitelighter to think such a thing. But he couldn't help it. "Did she pine for me all these years" he was asking himself? But then, he rejected the thought because it went against everything that he now stood for… He was aware that he would have to make great efforts to stay away from her. And from the look of things, that might be difficult. She was coming back yet again and his heart jumped.

A tinkle coming from them thankfully interrupted his line of thought and he started assembling his tools under Piper's intense gaze.

"Are you done already?" She asked him, obviously disappointed.

Leopold:

"I will have to come back tomorrow, if it is convenient for you?"

Piper answered a little faster than she would have liked:

"Of course."

She felt her face warm and was sure that she turned red as he was observing her.

Leopold:

"Then I'll take leave of you until tomorrow."

Piper:

"Very well." She had said this in a little voice, that she barely recognized herself.

As soon as he was out of sight, Leopold morphed into little balls of white light and disappeared…

Phoebe was enjoying herself tremendously. As usual, she was the life of the party and men were almost fighting for just a moment with her. To this she was responding by moments, with interest, and the next with apparent boredom. She was very well versed in those games of love and played them with great skill. Still, no man had ever truly captured her heart. She thought of herself as wild and free. She never wanted to be saddled with a man and a family. But occasionally, she felt that something was still missing in her life, and she often wondered if her reason to play these dangerous games wasn't exactly that?

Phoebe refused to worry too long about this though. And she concentrated on the next beau who had wrestled his way by her side.

"Miss Halliwell, what a pleasure to finally know you."

Phoebe batting her eyelashes in false innocence:

"How does one know another, really?"

The young man:

"I would give a lot to learn that with you."

Phoebe uttered a light and crystalline laughter that encouraged the young man.

From afar a tall man had heard the laugh and turned to search the room with his icy blue eyes. He couldn't see where it had come from and reported his attention to the crowd surrounding him. He had yet to find who were the witches he was after, but he had no doubts that he would soon. Only once before had he failed, and this would not be the second one. 

Phoebe noticed a man in dark clothing who seemed to be on the lookout for something or someone. She immediately became suspicious and lost interest in the young man beside her completely, to his chagrin.

In a moment, she had taken leave of him and started toward the stranger. She had become really good at finding them out, and was now convinced that she was facing yet again one of those evil agents that seemed to pop up more and more.

She had almost reached him, when another man bumped accidentally into her, with a glass of liquor in his hands that he nearly spilled on her. But that wasn't what stopped her in her track. She forgot all together where she was going as she lifted her pretty brown eyes toward the tall man. At first it had been to demand an apology but the words stayed in her throat. As their eyes met, she felt captured by his deep blue eyes and she instinctively knew that the feeling was mutual. 

Phoebe took a deep breath and said:

"I,' she stopped for a second then started again trying to keep her voice steady, "sir." But she never got to finish the sentence as the man found his voice:

"My apologies madam, I should have been looking where I was going…"

He smiled at her and she cursed the feeling of warmth that course through her body. What was happening to her, she thought. Never had she felt such immediate attraction to any man.

He said again:

"Will you forgive me?"

Phoebe finally found her voice and smiled sweetly:

"I'll forgive you, but who should I forgive?"

His smile widened and he introduced himself:

"Cole Turner, law clerk recently arrived in your city. Had I known that such beautiful women lived in this town, I would have moved here sooner."

Phoebe felt herself blushing and tried to hide it by looking down.

He asked then:

"And what is the name that I should call in my dreams?" He asked in a flirting tone of voice. 

She looked back at him still shaken to the core of her being, but she managed to smile and, using the same flirting intonation, she answered, extending her hand for him to take:

"Phoebe Bennett." She couldn't help a little shiver as he put a lingering kiss on her hand, still looking straight at her, unflinching.

"Would you be the same person who saved that little girl yesterday?" she asked trying very hard to maintain the flirting façade.

Cole:

"It was not so dramatic really, but one does what one can to help."

Phoebe smiled charmingly, while inwardly she felt her heart melting.

Cole:

"Well Miss Bennett, I certainly hope to have the pleasure of your company again soon, if you'll forgive my clumsiness of course."

Phoebe:

"If you are going to live in our humble town, I suppose that it might happen eventually." 

She gave him her most encouraging smile at this.

Cole:

"Till I see you again, then." He kept his eyes fixed on hers for another moment, then left without another word. 

For a moment she just stood there, transfixed and unable to understand how a man could have made her feel this way. Then, she noticed the individual she had been after before the interruption, and she moved toward him again. All the while, she couldn't help being tempted to look back in the direction Cole Turner had taken, and only at great effort on herself did she not turn around to see where he went. 

The man in dark clothing seemed to notice her at last and, as if he had known the danger, stepped out of the room. She hurried behind him and found herself in the poorly lit backroom adjacent to the ballroom. There she could feel him, but not see where he had gone. She prepared for his attack and it didn't take long to come:

The man, now transformed into a gruesome creature, with glowing eyes and fangs, jumped at her from behind and nearly tackled her to the ground. Fortunately, she had sense him before he did and she levitated off the ground before he made contact with her.

Suspended close to the ceiling, she gestured frantically as he was trying to jump toward her. He froze in midair and Phoebe let herself down. Fortunately she had seen such creature before and knew that her energy power was more than sufficient against those. Still, she knew that if Prue had been aware that she had gone against an unknown enemy by herself, she would really want to ring her ears. Without delay, she sent the energy ball to the ground and was consumed in flames. 

Phoebe took a moment to recover from the attack before returning to the ballroom, as if nothing had happened. But she knew in her heart of hearts that something did happened to her. And it had nothing to do with the demon that she had just vanquished…

Cole was very troubled. He couldn't chase away the image of her face. She was so beautiful and charming that he had felt immediately attracted to her. Like he never was before. Of course, his life had not been spent in celibacy. No matter his demon inheritance, the human part of him still had some influence on him. But this woman had captured his mind and now he tried very hard to forget about her.

As soon as he had lost sight of her, he made the decision to leave the party; unsure of his reaction was he to meet her again that night.

He had no time to lose on an affair. Once outside, he had managed to regain his control, and was actually wondering how he could have been so troubled by a woman. So much so that he had lost sight of the demon he had been seeking. He had even altogether forgotten about it until then. Now he was looking back at the building, and he suddenly realized something else. Until a few minutes ago, even if he did had a moment of inattention, he had still been able to feel the other demon. Yet now, he couldn't feel anything…

The young man who had been flirting with her earlier was now on his way to her, but all she felt now was annoyance at the sight him. For the last few minutes she had been searching the crowd for Cole Turner. She had tried very hard to put him out of her mind, knowing full well that what she felt now was almost dangerous. Never before had she felt drawn to a man like this and it scared her. 

"Could I have fallen so fast?" She asked herself incredulous. Yet she couldn't stop thinking about him. "I don't even know him." She insisted inwardly. But to no avail, as her eyes were continuously scanning the room for a sign of him. The young man tried to get her attention, but she just dismissed him and walked away without a word, leaving him with a very disappointed expression. After a while, she finally gave up when she understood that he obviously had left already and it pained her. It truly was a curious sensation for her to pine for a man. What she had thought to be a great party had become insipid and almost grating, so she left earlier than she had in years.

As she was going to the carriage, she had the sensation of being observed but she was so used to be the center of attention that she dismissed it. 

He had caught sight of her and now was again losing his grip. "How is it possible?" The demon fought to regain his hold on the human and succeeded with more difficulty than before. From that moment on, he told himself that he would try and avoid that woman at all cost…  
That night Phoebe actually surprised her sisters who didn't expect to see her home this early, but she didn't tell them why as she herself was questioning her motivations and feelings. It took her a long time to fall asleep that night and she couldn't help him invading her dreams as well…

After a while waiting outside, Belthazor finally decided that he should verify his suspicion. It didn't take him long to find the spot where the demon had been vanquished, and he puzzled about how he could have missed what happened. This brought back the memory of the woman and he had to push the image away again, cursing his weak human half and the mistake he had just made because of it. He shimmered out.

The next morning, Phoebe told her sisters about the demon of the night before, trying to minimize her reckless attitude at going after him.

Still, Prue guessed that it had not been as accidental as her sister was saying:

"You're telling us that you just happened to walk into that backroom?"

Phoebe:

"Yes, that's what I'm saying…"

Prue:

"Hem!"

Phoebe made her a face, but was happy that she didn't insist too much about this.

Piper:

"You still haven't told us what made you leave so early though. You said that the vanquishing was easy enough, didn't you?"

Phoebe:

"Yes it was," she said with a dismissive attitude.

Piper:

"Pardon me for insisting then, but I have never known you to quit a party so soon."

Phoebe:

"It wasn't nearly as pleasant as I thought."

This had been said in a casual tone of voice but Prue caught something nevertheless:

"There is something you are not telling us…"

Phoebe hesitated. Weirdly enough, she had thought that her admission about the vanquishing would be the most difficult thing to say, but now she couldn't bring herself to tell them her true motives. Somehow, she felt diminished and almost ashamed at having let her emotions take over so easily.

Prue still insisted seeing the pensive expression on her sister's face:

"Come on, I know that there is something else…"

Phoebe became agitated but again denied that anything was amiss.

The others gave up for the moment, but Prue promised herself that she would figure out what was up with her sister.

Belthazor had finally realized that maybe the whole thing wasn't lost after all. He was certain that many people saw the man that evening, before he disappeared, and he started a rumor that soon became the talk of the town.

He had lingered around at the sheriff's office after bringing them some papers and now, he was addressing a deputy as casually as he could:

"You know, I saw something odd last night at the party."

The deputy:

"How so?"

Belthazor:

"There was this man going to the backroom, and when he didn't come back, I got curious, but all I found were scorched marks on the floor: the man had vanished."

The deputy:

"He probably went out the back…"

Belthazor insisted:

"No really, I checked. There is no door to the outside that way, I'm still wondering…"

The deputy:

"Scorched marks, you say?"

His face expressed at once puzzlement and a sudden fear. He had heard of strange tales from people coming from other towns: about how witches were taking revenge for being persecuted as they called it…

Belthazor:

"I really think that the sheriff or a deputy should look into this."

The deputy acquiesced and Belthazor had pain to contain his satisfaction until he had left the office. He knew that he had taken the first step in dragging them out in the open, and he was ready for them.


	4. Witch Trial Revisited (Part 4)

Witch Trial Revisited (Part 4) ****

Witch Trial Revisited (Part 4)

It had finally happened… What they had dreaded for the last six years was at their door. All over town there had been talks of witch killings. Many people started pointing at the Bennett sisters as possible suspects when witnesses to the supposed killing had come forward. Many of them remembered Phoebe going in that room the night in question, but there were still many others that came forward to defend her. She, of course, denied any knowledge of the event. Eventually though, and when nothing of notice happened in the next few weeks, the townspeople chose to try and forget, as there was no actual proof that anything really happened that night. The man who had supposedly disappeared was a stranger to the town and most thought that he had simply left.

After a while, the girls finally thought that they could relax again, thankful that the town they lived in was relatively more progressive than the one before…

Meanwhile, Leopold had been coming at the manor on a regular basis and Piper was more and more attracted to him, but she didn't dare act upon this. What's more, he seemed to keep his distance, even though she caught him watching her many times. 

Phoebe:

"Hey Piper, you got that dreamy look again, is he coming today?"

Piper feigned not to know whom she was talking about:

"Who?"

Phoebe:

"Come on Piper, I know you. Leopold, of course, who else?"

Piper:

"He will be here this afternoon" she said and couldn't help smiling at the thought.

Phoebe:

"How long will it take either one of you to make a move? This is becoming ridiculous."

Piper:

"What do you mean?"

Phoebe:

"It's pretty obvious to everyone else that you like each other, so what's the hang up?"

Piper avoided answering by asking a question of her own:

"And what about you? What is it with you not going out anymore and moping around the house? I've never seen you like this."

Phoebe:

"I don't know what you mean," she answered even if she knew perfectly well. Ever since that night, she had been in turmoil. The man that she had met had seemed nice and all, but her feelings were so strong about him that she tried her very best to stay away. 

She never wanted to be attached to anyone, and somehow she knew that if she were to see him more, it would be the end of that. Even if they had not met since that night, she still thought about him much too often for her own good. 

Piper interrupted her train of thoughts by insisting:

"Phoebe I know you, there is something you haven't told us about that night."

Phoebe:

"Isn't that enough that ever since this happened we have lived in fear of being discovered. I thought of packing our bags more than once in the last 3 weeks you know."

Piper:

"I know, but things are settling down now and yet you're still acting out of character."

Phoebe was annoyed at her insistence and she let her know:

"Can't I just have grown? You and Prue were always complaining about my tendency to be the party girl. Well now I'm not…"

Piper:

"I just want to be sure that you are ok."

Phoebe:

"Don't worry about me big sis, I'm telling you everything is fine. Just think of your own happiness…"

Piper:

"I really don't know for sure that there is anything at all there." That was as close as she had come to admit her attraction to the handyman, and Phoebe took advantage. She was delighted for her and even more anxious to change the subject:

"I saw the way he looks at you, I'm telling you, you should really go for it."

Piper hesitated still:

"Maybe…"

Phoebe gently smiled:

"You know that it is time for you to let love in again, you can't live in the past forever… Leopold would not have wanted that."

A cloud passed over Piper's face and Phoebe wondered for a moment if she had talked too soon. But Piper smiled again:

"You're probably right. I just need a little more time…"

Phoebe:

"Don't wait too long, I might want to snatch him up." She replied with a little giggle. 

Piper made her a face but laughed too, as she knew her sister only meant to cheer her up.

She still added jokingly:

"Hands off, you have enough of the whole rest of the masculine population of this town…"

Phoebe briefly pinched her lips but pretended to be amused nevertheless. Right then, only one man held any interest for her.

Belthazor was unhappy at how little the situation had evolved. He had been convinced that the witches would surely be uncovered by now, but instead the population was cooling off. For a while, he had considered provoking another crisis directly, but wasn't ready to face his unknown enemy as of yet, although he had some suspicions as to whom the charmed ones might be. At first he had been almost convinced that the Bennett sisters could fit the profile that had been foreseen. And the witnesses had mentioned Phoebe Bennett going into that room even if it had been dismissed early on. 

But after three weeks, he started to wonder if he had not been wrong. He had been watching the house and all the comings and goings without finding anything suspicious. But it wasn't what bothered him the most. Creeping from inside of him, his other half, the weak human part of him, appeared to crave seeing her… Belthazor could feel him try to break out and knew that he even succeeded a few times. Like last night, Cole had almost gone to her as she was sitting on the porch. She had just sat there, lost in thoughts. And instead of the hatred that he had always had for humans, he had felt an almost overpowering desire. He had wondered if she remembered their encounter as much as he did, then berated himself for even having the thought. At some point, she had looked in his direction and he had been certain that she had seen him. He should have gone right then, but instead he had stood there, transfixed, half hoping that she would come to him. When he had realized that she was still unaware of his presence, instead of relief he had felt disappointment. 

He had fought the desire with great difficulties. Every day the demon sensed that his human half was strengthening but he wasn't going to let that happened…

Now sitting at his desk, he was considering, at last, taking drastic measures to draw them out… 

Piper greeted Leopold with her most charming smile that afternoon even if she was upset that he was late. He confounded himself in excuses, telling her that his other duties had taken longer than he had thought, but all along she just looked at him, wondering if she should not just come out with it and ask him about the two of them.

When he had stopped talking, she had been a little surprised and he saw that she had not been listening:

"Miss Bennett, is everything ok?"

Piper:

"Yes why?"

Leopold:

"You seemed distracted."

Piper was a little embarrassed that he had noticed but tried to cover it:

"No really that's ok, come on in."

Leopold looked at her a few more seconds at once to know if something was really wrong and also simply because he couldn't help himself. She was still so beautiful. And yet, he knew that he could never be with her…

He had been very busy lately, trying his best to cover any proof of their witchcraft. He had also been convinced that someone was watching the house. But the girls had been very careful, this he knew for a fact.

He had noticed the little secret passage that they were using to go out unseen. 

They even had some disguises to make sure that no one would connect any out of the ordinary event with them. And those had been happening a lot lately. Leopold was certain, as he was sure the girls were too, that somehow a challenge had been sent to the evil side. Warlocks and lower demons were coming in mass and if it had not been for Piper's premonitions, the results could have been disastrous. But as things stood, they had managed to vanquish all of them without anyone noticing. Not even, he was certain, the one watching the house. He wished that he could warn them of that one, but he didn't really know who it was and besides, his secret had to be maintained. The Elders were actually looking into this but until now they had had no luck. He had made up his mind to get a good look at the man or demon that very night. All of this, he was thinking about, as he repaired the latest disaster, this one in their attic. The girls had not told him anything about this of course, but he had watched as they had fought the succubus. They had found out that she was coming and used a summoning spell to get her directly into the house. Fortunately, he had been able to mask her demonic presence to anyone lurking around.

The wall had a large dent where Prue had tked her just as she had materialized, and after a few seconds of fighting they had destroyed her easily enough. Leopold was still surprised that no upper demon had showed up, and he knew that the girls were too confident. They had no idea of the kind of evil that was coming their way.

Piper was coming back to the attic again and all his thoughts now went to her. He couldn't help watching her coming in and feel the intense desire that he had pain keeping from her. 

He sensed that this time though, she wanted something from him. 

Piper:

"Leopold," she emboldened herself, "may I call you Leopold?"

Leopold breathed deeply before answering as her calling his name had troubled him more than he wanted to admit:

"Yes of course Miss Bennett."

Piper:

"Why don't you call me Piper, we have known each other for long enough now."

Leopold tried to protest:

"Maybe it wouldn't be appropriate…"

Piper:

"Nonsense, I consider you more like a friend than a handyman now."

Leopold smiled:

"Well if you really mean it?"

Piper:

"Of course I do."

Leopold:

"Then I will," he said, feeling his heart melting. No matter the repeated warning from the Elders, he couldn't help the feelings he had. He loved that woman so much; he had never stopped. But at the same time, it made him somewhat uncomfortable that she was interested in the stranger that he now was. In a totally irrational way, he was jealous of himself.

Piper continued:

"Well Leopold, it's just that you have been coming to this house often in the last three weeks but only for work…"

Leopold didn't dare answer this and when she saw this, she took it as an encouragement:

"So I was thinking that you might come for dinner this weekend…"

His heart jumped, and his first reaction was to accept immediately but he stopped himself, trying to find a reasonable way to refuse the invitation without hurting her feelings.

Seeing that he was still not answering, Piper started to wonder if he had not found her too bold.

"If it is a problem feel free to say no," she added quickly.

Leopold couldn't believe what he answered:

"Not at all, I would love to have dinner with you."

He wanted to slap himself but at the same time, he had not been able to resist. And the smile on her face was enough to make him forget about the rules altogether…

After he had left that afternoon, Piper felt that all of her doubts had been for naught as he obviously was interested, and she decided to do the shopping for a very special dinner indeed.

But she also figured that she might kill too bird with one stone and convinced Phoebe to come to town with her. It had proven to be very difficult indeed and Piper was still wondering why as they were walking down the street:

"Phoebe," she turned to her, " why do you look so nervous?"

Phoebe didn't answer right away. In spite of herself, the moment that they came closer to the courthouse, she began to look around half expecting to see him. On the one hand, she told herself that she should avoid him at all cost, but on the other hand, she couldn't help wanting to see him again. Only her sister insistent tone of voice caught her attention after a moment:

"Yes what were you saying?"

Piper:

"You're making my point for me. You were not even listening to me."

Phoebe:

"I was just a little distracted that's all." She answered in a voice that said don't ask anymore. 

Piper was put off by her attitude and redirected her attention to the task at hand. She headed for the general store, intent on making a few special orders for the weekend and Phoebe followed her somewhat reluctantly. When inside, Piper started to talk to the clerk but as she was touching the counter, she had a terrible vision and caught her breath:

"It was nightfall and the clerk was walking down a deserted street when a giant red beast came behind her and caught her by the neck, silencing her. He then disappeared in the demon way, like shimmer. Her vision continued in a clearing that looked familiar as the demon now took an athame and cut her throat. Around them she could see strange objects that she assumed must have been for some sort of evil ritual." 

When the vision stopped, she had trouble hiding her worry from the clerk and she turned to Phoebe, indicating that she had something urgent to discuss with her. Phoebe knew by now that it must have been another vision. Lately the appearances of demon and warlocks had been numerous. And Piper confirmed her suspicions as soon as they were out of the store.

"We have to go get Prue, I fear that the clerk from this store might be victim of a demon attack tonight."

Phoebe:

"Let's go then." She was about to ad something else when her eyes caught sight of the very one she had feared and wished to see. He was walking down the street toward them and she noticed that he also seemed a little anxious at seeing her…

She thought of turning around and going right away to get Prue, since that would have been a good excuse, but her feet wouldn't move. 

Cole:

"Miss Bennett!" he said with a little smile. His eyes were fixed on hers as if nothing else mattered around them and she knew that all the denial in the world wouldn't change the fact that she was falling for this man. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, almost painfully and she felt dizzy. It took her a moment before answering and that caught Piper's attention.

Phoebe:

"Mr. Turner," she replied, trying to sound casual. 

Cole:

"What a pleasure to meet you again, I was beginning to think that you had been an illusion at the ball…"

Cole knew that he should have stayed away, but the temptation had been too strong. Now that she was there, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was so beautiful, so much so that she had invaded even his dreams. The demon in him was trying to stop this madness but the human side of him was already completely taken by her. 

Phoebe smiled in a coquettish manner:

"No I am made of flesh and blood as you can see. I have simply not been in town so much lately."

Piper immediately understood that the man must have been the little thing Phoebe had been hiding from them. Her sister was obviously enamoured of him, much more than she had ever known her to be.

She watched as they exchanged polite phrases and saw the tension between them. She finally decided to do something about it as her new found joy begged to be shared:

"Mr. Turner, you say?" 

Cole turned to her almost reluctantly:

"Yes and who do I have the pleasure?"

Phoebe:

"Oh forgive my rudeness, this is my older sister Piper Bennett…"

Piper:

"I was just thinking that since you and Phoebe seem to be acquainted, it would be our pleasure to have you for dinner this weekend as I am expecting some company already."

Cole hesitated, but then he rationalized that this might be the occasion or never to confirm or infirm his suspicions.

"I would be delighted," he finally answered but then turned to Phoebe:

"But only if it is agreeable to you."

Phoebe thought that her sister should have consulted her first, but she hid her annoyance and gave him a charming smile before answering:

"Of course, I would be pleased as well."

Piper now remembered the problem that they were facing and she tried to cut the conversation short:

"Then it's a plan, come Saturday at say 7 PM?"

Cole:

"That sounds perfect."

Piper:

"I hope you will forgive us but we are in somewhat of a hurry right now. I do look forward to see you then."

Cole nodded to the both of them before they turned back toward the house.

Phoebe's heart had not completely returned to its normal rhythm but now she thought of something else:

"He won't even know where to go, we forgot to tell him…"

Piper smiled devilishly:

"I'm quiet convinced that he can find out before then. Actually I have a feeling that he might already know."

Phoebe:

"And what makes you say that?"

Piper:

"The fact that he couldn't take his eyes off you all the while that we were there and the reverse was true for you too."

Phoebe shrugged but didn't answer.

Piper:

"So," she added still smiling, "now we know what the big mystery is…"

Phoebe:

"What mystery?" 

Piper:

"Come on, I have eyes to see, you have a big crush on that man. Is that why you didn't want to go out lately? Afraid of truly falling for a man?"

Phoebe protested:

"Don't be ridiculous, no man will keep me from doing anything…"

Piper:

"That is not the way it looked to me. But no matter, I'm happy that you finally found a man who really interests you."

Phoebe wanted to protest more but she knew that it would not do any good, so she kept quiet for the rest of the walk home. And besides, in spite of herself, she was thrilled to get to see him again…

That night, the girls prepared to go after the demon as he himself was debating what he really wanted to do…

Belthazor was still unsure if he was ready to risk exposure, but somehow he knew that his reluctance came more from his pesky human half than the fear of discovery. He had not felt this conflicted in over a hundred years. But the demon was still the strongest in him and he decided to act, all the more so since if he succeeded then he could leave this place and retake full control of himself. He waited for the cover of darkness and searched the town for an easy prey. It didn't take him long to find her. He remembered her from the general store and cursed when he felt a hint of remorse at what he was going to do. 

After a moment of hesitation, he went for it and shimmering behind her, he grabbed her forcefully. It only took a little twist of her neck to keep her quiet and he shimmered rapidly away. 

But when he got to the site that he had prepared for his plan, he was very surprised to find people already there and obviously waiting for him. The first thing that he knew a short person, all clothed in black, and of an undistinguishable gender, materialized right beside him, kicking him hard. In the back of his mind, he understood this had to be the astral projection of a witch. But her or his face was covered and he couldn't recognize who it was. The surprise and the pain made him let go of his prey just long enough for the witch to grab her and push her away from him. He reacted quickly by throwing an energy ball in the witch's direction but she dematerialized before it hit her. The clerk was already out of sight, now running for her life and he really didn't have time to get her back as a fireball came toward him, hurled by another of the faceless witches. The projectile hit his arm and he screamed in pain and rage. Then he shimmered behind the farthest one, trying to get a hold of her neck. Before he could catch her, she had turned his way as if she had sensed him and then she levitated at least ten feet up in the air. Seeing that he was outnumbered and probably overpowered, he shimmered before one of them could freeze him.

He shimmered in his little townhouse, short of breath and in pain. Where the fireball had hit him, he still could see the clothing smoke. He patted it quickly and changed back to his human form. The burn wasn't that bad but it compounded his defeat. 

In the clearing, the sisters were relived but also much more scared than they had been in the whole time since they had discovered their destiny. 

Prue:

"I hit him and he came right back…"

Phoebe:

"You? That fireball hit him too but it didn't even slow him down. What kind of a demon was he?"

Piper:

"I don't know but I have the feeling it's not the last time that we see him. We have to find the way to vanquish him."

Phoebe:

"At least we saved the innocent. But now she will talk around town and it's going to start all over again…"

Prue:

"I don't know, maybe she will be afraid to be accused too. Red giant monsters are not very common and maybe she'll hesitate before talking about it?"

Piper:

"I hope so, I really don't want to have to move again…"

Phoebe smiled at her sister:

"Of course not, you wouldn't want to lose the chance to see Leopold again."

Piper grimaced but didn't deny it, since she was indeed thinking that if it were to happen, her chances at loving another man would grow really thin. She wouldn't put herself through this pain again. 

Prue:

"Well let's not talk of running just yet. The disguises are pretty good and I really don't think that either one of them recognized us…"

Phoebe:

"Let's go home. I will research the book about this one. At least now we know what he looks like…"

Then her eyes caught sight of the strange objects scattered in a circle. She breathed deeply before talking again:

"Oh oh!"

Prue:

"What is it?"

Phoebe:

"Those are not demonic objects… They look like symbols used in a magic ritual…"

Piper:

"What do you mean?"

Phoebe:

"I'm afraid that there was more to this than a simple killing. What if he wanted the population to believe witches had killed her?"

Prue and Piper were speechless at this dreadful prospect.

The girls decided to pick up the objects just in case, and started toward their secret entrance to the house, all of them lost in very unpleasant thoughts about demons planning their demise.


End file.
